Preparation of a superhydrophobic GO/ZIF-67/PDMS composite fabric with high photothermal antibacterial performance and durability

This study presents the development of a durable, superhydrophobic composite cotton fabric with enhanced photothermal antibacterial properties. Graphene oxide (GO) was first deposited onto cotton fabric to create an anchoring layer, followed by the in-situ growth of ZIF-67 nanoparticles. The fabric was further modified with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to impart a low-surface-energy coating, enhancing both hydrophobicity and stability. GO not only significantly enhanced photothermal conversion efficiency, but also improved the dispersivity and adhesion of the nanoparticles. The resultant GO/ZIF-67/PDMS composite fabric exhibited excellent photothermal performance, reaching 103.2°C within one minute under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation (0.6 W/cm 2 ). The antibacterial activity of the composite was evaluated against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli . Under NIR irradiation for 5 min, the survival rates of E. coli and S. aureus were reduced to 0.01% and 9.35%, respectively. Moreover, the fabric maintained both photothermal and hydrophobic properties even after 10 washing cycles in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solution or 100 abrasion cycles, demonstrating outstanding durability. These results highlight the potential of GO/ZIF-67/PDMS composite fabric in antibacterial textile with self-cleaning property, particularly in the photothermal antibacterial application.