Antimicrobial Cotton Fabric Coated with ZnONPs for Solar-Driven Photocatalysis During Water Purification

Mai M. Khalaf, Hany M.Abd El-Lateef, Manal F.Abou Taleb, Mahmoud A. Abdelaziz, Mohamed Gouda

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study aims to develop an eco-friendly, multifunctional filter material capable of simultaneous photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants and antimicrobial action. Thus, the study focusess on the green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) using algal extract and their utilization for cotton fabrics treatment in order to fabricate ZnONPs-coated cotton fabric material for sustainable water purification. The particle size was established to be approximately 34.2 nm with a polydispersity index (PdI) of 0.377. The treatment of cotton fabric with ZnONPs caused the roughness morphology of the cotton surface. Optimized conditions involved pH = 8, T = 25 °C, and t = 77.5 min, where MG completely degraded on a UV light tube coated by ZnONPs as its photocatalyst due to high production of reactive oxygen species. Further, microbicidal assay exhibited the diameters of clear zone ranging from 32 to 38 mm against some pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Candida albicans. Likewise, reusability analyses exhibited that after five cycles, the degradation efficiency (%) remained at 76.1%. The safety and the biocompatibility of tested filter materials were confirmed with EC₅₀ values of over 100 as indicated by toxicity tests. The results demonstrate that ZnONPs-coated cotton fabric is a promising eco-friendly material with dual functionality, offering efficient photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants and strong antimicrobial activity, making it a viable solution for sustainable water purification.

Original languageEnglish
Article number124764
Pages (from-to)1555-1575
Number of pages21
JournalFibers and Polymers
Volume26
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2025

Keywords

  • Antimicrobial features
  • Biogenic-synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles
  • Environmental applications
  • Functionalized cotton fabric
  • Malachite green degradation

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