Abstract
Bionanocomposites (BNC1,2) of binary (PPCH-Ag) and ternary (PPCH-TiO2-Ag) (PPCH = polyphosphonium chitosan-hydrazone) have been synthesized and immobilized on cellulosic fabrics (CFs) using an environmentally friendly single-step in situ methodology. The results of FTIR, TGA, EDX, SEM, and TEM investigations showed that PPCH and its BNCs were successfully formed on the surface layer of fabrics. Moreover, the BNC2-coated cloth exhibited a superhydrophobic behavior as revealed from the values of water contact angle (WCA) 152.1° and slide angle (SA) 8.7°. The cytotoxicity experiments on epithelial cells confirmed the safety of treated fabrics for human cells. The antimicrobial capabilities of the BNCs-treated textiles were greatly enhanced, with a small preference for BNC1-coated fabric, as compared to the native or other treated fabrics. In contrast, the BNC2-coated fabric demonstrated the highest anti-UV protection capabilities as indicated by its great capacity to reduce the UV transmission (UV-A, 2.1 %; UV-B, 1.8 %) as well as its UPF value (49.2). The durability tests revealed the high resistance of BNC2-CF against harsh washing conditions and their acquired functions sustainability up to 20 washing cycles.