Industrial biotechnology has the potential to fulfil many key criteria of greener textile production.

Bio-based phytic acid (PA) as a nontoxic naturally occurring compound is a promising prospect for flame-retardant (FR) modifications to polymers. In this work, PA was applied to wool fabric using an exhaustion technique, and the adsorption and FR properties of PA on wool fabric were studied. The flame retardancy of the treated wool fabrics depended greatly on the adsorption quantity of PA, which was related to the pH of treatment solution, immersing temperature and initial PA concentration. The Langmuir adsorption of PA took place due to electrostatic interactions between PA and wool fiber. The limiting oxygen index, vertical burning and pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry tests revealed that the treated wool fabrics exhibited good flame retardancy. The measurements of the phosphorus content of the burned fabric residues and thermogravimetric analyses suggested that a significant condensed-phase FR action was applicable to the PA treated fabrics. PA treatment was found to have little adverse effect on the whiteness and mechanical performance of wool. Additionally, the washing resistance of the FR fabrics should be further improved.

A facile method was developed to endow cotton fabric with remarkable antibacterial and ultraviolet (UV)-protective properties. The flower-like TiO₂ micro-nanoparticles were first deposited onto cotton fabric surface via hydrothermal deposition method. Then, the Ag NPs with a high deposition density were evenly formed onto TiO₂@cotton surface by sodium hydroxide solution pretreatment and followed by in situ reduction of ANO₃. This work focused on the influence of different hydrothermal reaction durations and the concentration of AgNO₃ on antibacterial activity against relevant microorganisms in medicine as well as on the UV-blocking property. Ag NPs-loaded TiO₂@cotton exhibited high antibacterial activity with an inhibition rate higher than 99% against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria. Moreover, the as-prepared cotton fabric coated with Ag NPs and TiO₂ NPs demonstrated outstanding UV protective ability with a high ultraviolet protection factor value of 56.39. Morphological image of the cells revealed a likely loss of viability as a result of the synergistically biocidal effects of TiO₂ and Ag on attached bacteria. These results demonstrate a facile and robust synthesis technology for fabricating multifunctional textiles with a promising biocidal activity against common Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.

Silk fibroin (SF) is a natural material with good biocompatibility and excellent mechanical properties, which are complementary to graphene with ultrahigh electrical conductivity. In this study, to maximally combine graphene and silk fibroin, a well-dispersed silk fibroin/graphene suspension was successfully prepared in a simple and effective way. Then we prepared a flexible conductive SF/graphene film with a minimum resistance of 72.1 ± 4.7 Ω/sq by the casting method. It was found that the electrical conductivity of the SF/graphene film was related to the water content of the film, and the variation was more than 200 times. Therefore, it will play an important role in the field of humidity sensors. It also has excellent mechanical properties in both wet and dry states. These unique features make this material a promising future in the fields of biomedical applications, wearable sensors, and implantable internal sensors.