Preparation, characterization, antibacterial properties and hydrophobic evaluation of SiO2/Ag nanosol coated cotton/linen fabric

Surface modification is an important element of textile manufacturing. The SiO2/Ag sol–gel was coated on the cotton/linen fabric by a simple two-dipping-two-rolling coating machine. SEM, Zeta-potential, (ATR)-FTIR and XRD, physical properties, water-droplet adsorption, antibacterial performance and water-resisting property have been adopted as the characterization techniques. The Zeta-potential showed that the nano-Ag particles affected the size of SiO2 nanoparticles. The results showed that antibacterial activity and hydrophobic property of cotton/linen fabric increased with the increasing concentration of the AgNO3. Air permeability was not decreased considerably, whereas tensile strength was increased significantly after coating twice. The SiO2/Ag coating cotton/linen fabric had an excellent antibacterial performance. Our results demonstrate that this SiO2/Ag coated cotton/linen fabric is a step towards better hydrophobic performance of textile materials.