Preparation of chitosan based antibacterial agent CS-g-DMC and its long-effective antibacterial finishing for cotton fabric

Abstract In this study, a chitosan-based high polymer antibacterial agent CS-g-DMC was synthesized through grafting copolymerization with an environmentally friendly initiator system of H2O2 and ascorbic acid (Vc). The CS-g-DMC was used for the long-effective antibacterial finishing of cotton fabric. The SEM, EDS, FTIR, XPS, and XRD were conducted for the characterization of the fabric. Result showed CS-g-DMC combined with cellulose macro-molecule chemical bond, and had uniformly distributed on surface of cotton fiber. After finishing, the cotton fabric had antibacterial rates against S. aureus and E. coli above 99.9% after 10 times of standard washing. The finished cotton fabric had significantly improved hydrophily, its contact angle decreased from 107° to 104°. Its breaking force significantly increased from 173.38 N to 219.33 N, and its breaking elongation and moisture transmission rate had not dropped obviously. In general, the cotton fabric finished by CS-g-DMC obtained long-effective antibacterial and increased mechanical properties, at meantime kept its comfortable capability to a great extent.