Eco-friendly Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles for Multifunctional Protective Cotton and Flax Fabrics

The antibacterial properties of nano-silver are well-known methods to combat microbes in many respects, and the coating process emphasized this phenomenon more to textile materials. With the advancement in promoting eco-friendly methods to synthesize silver, sweet Orange Peel extract was used to reduce Ag+ to Ag0. UV, XRD, SEM, EDX, and DLS were used to characterize and diagnose the formation of silver nanoparticles. The nanocrystallite size was measured using the Scherrer equation and the SEM images showed well-dispersed nanoparticles at pH levels 9 and 10. The treated cotton and flax fabrics were characterized by UV-vis, FTIR, SEM, and EDX to find the proper level of impregnation of silver nanoparticles onto the fabrics. The colorimetric results showed good distribution of coloronto both fabrics. They exhibited an increase in UV protection factor (UPF value raised from 5.47% to 12.95% for cotton and 3.36% to 4.11% for flax). The antibacterial efficacy was tested against Escherichia coli and the treated fabrics showed satisfactory resistance even after 10 consecutive washing cycles. The zone of inhibition was reported 15 mm and 14 mm (after 10 cycles) for cotton fabric and 14 mm and 10 mm (after 10 cycles) for flax fabric, respectively.