Medical textiles are one of the most rapidly growing parts of the technical textiles sector in the textile industry. This work aims to investigate the medical applications of a curcumin/TiO₂ nanocomposite fabricated on the surface of cotton fabric. The cotton fabric was pretreated with three crosslinking agents, namely citric acid, 3-Chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (Quat 188) and 3-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS), by applying the nanocomposite to the modified cotton fabric using the pad-dry-cure method. The chemistry and morphology of the modified fabrics were examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, the chemical mechanism for the nanocomposite-modified fabric was reported. UV protection (UPF) and antibacterial properties against Gram-positive S. aureus and Gram-negative E. coli bacterial strains were investigated. The durability of the fabrics to 20 washing cycles was also examined. Results demonstrated that the nanocomposite-modified cotton fabric exhibited superior antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria than Gram-positive bacteria and excellent UV protection properties. Moreover, a good durability was obtained, which was possibly due to the effect of the crosslinker used. Among the three pre-modifications of the cotton fabric, Quat 188 modified fabric revealed the highest antibacterial activity compared with citric acid or GPTMS modified fabrics. This outcome suggested that the curcumin/TiO₂ nanocomposite Quat 188-modified cotton fabric could be used as a biomedical textile due to its antibacterial properties.

Essential oils (EO_S), which naturally come from plants, have significant antibacterial properties against a variety of pathogens, but their high volatility and poor water solubility severely restrict their use in the textile industry. In this study, an inclusion complex based on β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)/EO_S was prepared by two different simple methods: pad dry cure (method 1) and pad batch (method 2). A glyoxal crosslinking agent was used for the fixation of the inclusion complexes on the surface of the fabric. Lavender, rosemary, salvia, and lemon essential oils were applied. The structure of the β-CD/EOs inclusion complex was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and weight gain (%), which indicated that the β-CD/EOs were successfully deposited on cellulose-based fabric. The results demonstrated that β-CD enhanced the oils’ scent stability, with the advantage of exhibiting no major change in the tensile strength or permeability of cotton. Lavender oil had the highest stability scent with a value of 3.25, even after 30 days of evaluation. The antibacterial activity showed that EO_S/βCD-impregnated fabrics for method 1 had an inhibition zone ranging from 33 to 23 mm, while the inhibition zone for method 2 ranged from 39 mm to 29 mm, indicating that our treatment was able to control the growth of bacteria, even after five washing cycles. This study confirmed that the EOs/βCD inclusion-complex-deposited cotton fabric might hold further promise for medical and hospital use.

We propose a method of crosslinking multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with cotton fabric. 3-Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxy silane (GPTMS) polymer was used for the stabilization and modification of the surfaces of MWCNTs. The presence of tannic acid in the finishing formulation adds a sustainable functionality to the treated surface. The formation of the GPTMS–MWCNTs nanocomposite as well as the MWCNTs–GPTMS tannic-epoxy nanocomposite on the fabric surface was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FTIR). The surface morphology and physical properties were investigated. An assessment of antibacterial activity, UV-protective properties, and electrical conductivity was performed. The post-treatment results of the MWCNTs–GPTMS nanocomposite fabric with tannic acid exhibited superior antibacterial character with the highest inhibition zones for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (26 mm, 24 mm). On the contrary, the electrical conductivity was negatively impacted. The treatment of cotton fabric with tannic acid showed a great UV-protection-factor estimation of 96.2, which was additionally improved by treatment with MWCNTs 152.1. Cotton fabric treated with cotton/GPTMS/tannic acid/MWCNTs as well as cotton/GPTMS/MWCNTs recorded the highest electrical-conductivity properties. Fabrication of MWCNTs–GPTMS/tannic-acid-nanocomposite-coated cotton fabric for durable antibacterial and UV protection with improved electrical and physical properties was successfully achieved.