A sustainable way for surface functionalisation of PET nonwoven with novel chitosan-cinnamaldehyde cross-linked nanoparticles

In this study, a novel eco-friendly chitosan-cinnamaldehyde cross-linked nanoparticles (CSN) were synthesised via a green route and deposited, in alternating combination with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP), over polyester (PET) nonwoven fabric using layer-by-layer (L-B-L) coating technique. The successful deposition of a nano-level coating (upto 684.7 nm) of 10.5 bi-layers of CSN and TPP, i.e. (CSN/TPP)10.5, with CSN at the top, was achieved at individual fibre surface as confirmed via scanning electron microscopy. Fabric coated with (CSN/TPP)(10.5) showed remarkable antibacterial activity against both the Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria, even with a low concentration of the nanoparticles (0.1 w/v). Moreover, the coating material possesses very low toxicity as revealed by the cytotoxicity test. The developed fabric could also adsorb metal ions like Pb2+, Cu2+, Fe3+, Ni2+, Zr4+ and Cd2+, etc. from water. The coating was found to be stable in alkaline and neutral pH environments. The slight reduction in the pore dimensions, air permeability and tensile strength of fabric after coating were insignificant with respect to its potential applications in developing health care products, medical and health care textiles and dry or wet purification media. (C) 2021 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.