Antibacterial and self-cleaning cellulosic fabrics mediated by ecofriendly synthesized selenium and titania nanoparticles

Green synthesis of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) using aqueous ginger extract was prepared for finishing of cellulosic fabrics in presence or absence of titania nanoparticles (TiO₂NPs) for antibacterial and self-cleaning applications. The synthesized nanoparticles were evaluated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–visible (UV–VIS), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. The prepared SeNPs@Ginger and TiO₂/SeNPs@Ginger suspensions were used to finish 100% cotton (CO), 50/50% cotton/polyester (CO/PET), linen, and viscose fabrics using pad/dry/curing method for acquiring antibacterial and self-cleaning properties. The finished fabrics were investigated using FTIR, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Antibacterial performance of the finished fabrics against two strains of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was evaluated using colony counting method. The results indicated enhanced bacterial inhibition ranging from 42.96 to 86.36% depending on the kind of finished fabrics and tested bacterial species. The photodegradation of dyed fabrics with methylene blue (MB) dye under sunlight irradiation showed sharp decrease of color strength (K/S) from about 6.75 to 0.54 for SeNPs@Ginger finished fabrics and from 7.79 to 0.44 for TiO₂/SeNPs@Ginger treated ones. The photodegradation of methylene blue dyed fabrics showed enhanced self-cleaning performance of the finished fabrics.