A new route for the preparation of hydrophobic and antibacterial textiles fabrics using Ag-loaded graphene nanocomposite

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been widely used as a basic material in fabrics for a wide range of applications owing to its excellent physicochemical and mechanical properties such as excellent mechanical strength, easy treatment, quick drying and dimensional stability. However, conventional PET-based fabrics always suffer from several issues mainly related to bad surface wettability and poor antimicrobial activity. Therefore, developing simple techniques for imparting multifunctional properties is of a great interest for diverse practical applications. Herein, we present a facile, scalable and cost-effective route to prepare multifunctional polyester fabric coated by graphene/silver nanoparticles (PET-G/Ag°) using a simple dip coating method. Through this approach, the graphene nanosheets coated onto polyester fabric are proposed as excellent support for Ag° deposition. Due to its high specific surface area, graphene nanosheets can act as bifunctional agent such as linker and stabilizer to increase the distribution and stability of silver nanoparticles. The surface morphology and structure of the coated polyester fabric (PET-G/Ag°) were investigated using optical microscopy, color coordinates, scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Surface areas were calculated from the quantity of nitrogen adsorbed at - 195.8 °C. In comparison with pristine polyester fabric, the coated polyester fabrics exhibited improved hydrophobic behavior with water contact angle of 122, 126 and 124° for PET-GO, PET-G and PET-G/Ag°, respectively. In addition, the PET-G/Ag° fabric demonstrates excellent antibacterial properties against both Staphylococcus aureus as Gram positive and Escherichia coli as negative bacteria due to the synergistic effect of graphene nanosheets and silver nanoparticles. Furthermore, the coating process is associated with an enhancement in the thermal stability without significant deterioration of the mechanical properties of the PET-G/Ag° fabric. The proposed approach was considered as a promising and suitable alternative for applying in various industries such as medical, textiles and water treatments.