Thermosensitive Behavior and Antibacterial Activity of Cotton Fabric Modified with a Chitosan-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Interpenetrating Polymer Network Hydrogel

To increase the themosensitive behavior and antibacterial activity of cotton fabric, a series of poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)/chitosan (PNIPAAm/Cs) hydrogels was synthesized by interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) technology using a redox initiator. The IPN PNIPAAm/Cs hydrogel was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results indicated that the IPN PNIPAAm/Cs hydrogel has a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at 33 °C. The IPN hydrogel was then used to modify cotton fabric using glutaric dialdehyde (GA) as a crosslinking agent following a double-dip-double-nip process. The results demonstrated that the modified cotton fabric showed obvious thermosensitive behavior and antibacterial activity. The contact angle of the modified cotton fabric has a sharp rise around 33 °C, and the modified cotton fabric showed an obvious thermosensitive behavior. The bacterial reduction of modified cotton fabric againstStaphylococcus aureus(S. aureus) andEscherichia coli(E. coli) were more than 99%. This study presents a valuable route towards smart textiles and their applications in functional clothing.Keywords:chitosan;interpenetrating polymer network hydrogel;cotton fabric;thermosensitive behavior;antibacterial activity