Abstract
Recently, studies focusing on the development of multipurpose nonwoven polypropylene fabric have attracted a great attention owing to their widespread applications. Herein, we pad-dry-cured silver nitrate and aniline monomer into plasma-pretreated nonwoven polypropylene fabrics to in situ create a nanocomposite film comprising both silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and polyaniline to introduce multifunctional properties. In doing so, nonwoven fibrous mat was initially fabricated by subjecting shredded recycled polypropylene waste to melt-spinning. Polyaniline was then produced on the fabric surface via a redox polymerization of aniline, which caused concomitant reduction of Ag+ ions into Ag-0 as nanoparticles. In this composite, AgNPs served as an antimicrobial agent whereas polyaniline worked as an electrical conductor. Importantly, superhydrophobic characteristics were imparted to polypropylene textiles by microwave-assisted curing with trimethoxyhexadecylsilane. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy have been utilized for morphological analyses. To determine the level of comfort provided by the final nonwoven polypropylene products, their stiffness and breathability were explored. The antimicrobial effectiveness of the AgNPs-treated fabrics against S. aureus and E. coli was evaluated. Finally, the prepared polypropylene fabrics demonstrated high blocking to UV rays along with superior electrical conductivity, making these fabrics promising for medical applications such as wound treatment, protective coatings and wearable electronics.