Antimicrobial finishing of polypropylene fabric using bioactive nanogels

Antimicrobial polypropylene (PP) was developed by plasma functionalization and subsequent immobilization of chitosan (CS)-chlorhexidine (CHX) nanogels as the bioactive component. Oxygen plasma was used to create a hydrophilic surface monitored by water drop interaction with the fabric surface. CS nanogels were prepared by the ionic gelation method. The characterization of the nanogels was carried out by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX). The functionalized fabric exhibited excellent antimicrobial nature against S. aureus and E. coli microbes. The animal studies involving mice showed that the material exhibited excellent biocompatibility in contact with the skin. There was no evidence of inflammatory cells in the histopathology. This investigation suggests that the fabric has enormous potential as infection-resistant material in applications such as wet wipes.