Preparation of N-halamine antimicrobial cotton fabric based on plasma treatment

Abstract The textile industry has a strong interest in the antibacterial properties of fabrics. In this research, N-hydroxymethylacrylamide (N-MA) was firstly finished on cotton fabric by pad-dry processes following with argon plasma treatment to initiate the graft copolymerization of N-MA on the fabric, and then, the fabric was chlorinated with sodium hypochlorite to impart it antimicrobial property. The presence of N-MA on the cotton fabric surface was confirmed with Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The tearing strength, weight change, crystallinity and antimicrobial property of the modified fabric were also characterized. The results showed that the fabric completely inactivated S. aureus and E. coli O157:H7 within 10 min of contact time and the antimicrobial property was rechargeable. This N-halamine antimicrobial cotton fabrics with superior antimicrobial properties exhibited potential for future application in the long term antimicrobial field.