In this study, chitosan-PAMAM dendrimer hybrid (ChD) was synthesized through the reaction of chitosan with poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer (Generation -0.5), and characterized by FTIR, SEM, and DSC analyses. In the following, ChD nano-emulsion (ChDN) was prepared by ionic gelation mechanism and finally silver loaded chitosandendrimer nano-emulsion (Ag-ChDN) was synthesized. The average particle sizes of ChDN and Ag-ChDN were 265 and 278 nm, respectively. Additionally, the prepared nano-emulsions were applied to the cotton fabric with pad-dry-cure method, and the treated cotton fabrics were characterized by SEM and X-ray diffraction. Antibacterial activity of the treated fabrics against gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) was evaluated and the results pointed out nano-emulsions had better antibacterial activity in comparison with chitosan. In addition, dyeing ability of the treated fabric was enhanced, and ChDN and Ag-ChDN can be used to diminish salt in reactive dyeing on the cotton fabric.
