Surface modification of poly(propylene) fabric with graphene oxide-based silver nanoparticles for antibacterial applications

Herein, poly(propylene) (PP) was hydrophilized with oxidating agents and solvents, followed by dip-coating with silver nanoparticles anchored GO sheets (Ag@GO) prepared by the in-situ method as reported in our previous study to obtain silver@graphene oxide-coated poly(propylene) (Ag@GO/PP). The impact of the modifying agents, dipping times, and coating concentrations on the antibacterial activities were studied accordingly via the inhibition zone method. The fabrics were re-hydrophobized with the reduction of Ag@GO and the functionalization with stearic acid (SA) to form silver@reduced graphene oxide-coated poly(propylene) (Ag@rGO/PP) and silver@graphene oxide/SA-coated poly(propylene) (Ag@rGO-SA/PP), respectively. Characterization of pretreated and modified PP samples was carried out by various modern analysis methods. Simultaneously, the cytotoxicity of the active layers, the release of Ag+ ions, and durability after washing were also investigated. The obtained results representing PP fabrics pretreated with HNO3/isopropanol and dipped in Ag@GO concentration of 2�g/L four times prove a sufficient approach for improving hydrophilization and bio-compatibility for the PP samples. The fabrics greatly show an impressive interaction with precursors, mostly high antibacterial activity even after four washing cycles via appropriate releasing of Ag+ to ensure the safety in usage. They further suggest that the prepared fabrics could be utilized for actual application as a face mask. � 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.