j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 1 ; 1 2 : 5 4 2 e5 5 4

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jmrt

Original Article

Preparation of hybrid nanoparticles to enhance the

electrical conductivity and performance properties
of cotton fabrics

Amina L. Mohamed, Mehrez E. El-Naggar*, Ahmed G. Hassabo

National Research Centre (Scopus Affiliation ID 60014618), Textile Industries Research Division, Pre-treatment and
Finishing of Cellulose Based Textiles Department, 33-El-Behouth St. (former El-Tahrir Str.), Dokki, P.O. 12622, Giza,
Egypt

article info abstract

Article history: To acquire durable multifunctional cotton fabric, hybrid nanocomposites were demanded.
Received 4 January 2021 Thus, a novel and efficient method for the synthesis of polymer grafted titanium oxide
Accepted 9 February 2021 nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) based polypyrrole (PPy) was developed. One-step preparation with
Available online 19 February 2021 no need for the calcination step that was carried out at a very high temperature was
established in an aqueous solution. The surface of the prepared nanocomposite was
Keywords: functionalized using 3-aminopropyltriethoxy silane at room temperature to enhance the
TiO2NPs binding force towards the cellulosic surface and to form PPy/TiO2NPs/silicon nano-
Polypyrrole composite. The prepared TiO2NPs/PPy and hybrid material of functionalized nanoparticles/
3-aminopropyltriethoxy silane silane (PPy/TiO2NPs/silicon nanocomposite) were envisaged by scanning electron micro-
Cotton scopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cotton fabrics were modified
Conductivity under static conditions to improve the binding of the functionalized nanoparticles/silane
UPF to the surface of cotton fabric. The physical, mechanical, and biological studies of the
Antibacterial activity treated fabrics have been investigated using different analytical techniques. The findings
illustrated that the functionalized cotton fabrics showed good electroconductive features,
resistance towards ultraviolet effect (UPF). After treatment, the cotton fabrics exhibited an
enhancement in electrical conductivity and good antibacterial efficiency against both types
of bacteria (gram-negative and positive bacteria). The resultant depicted that the func-
tionalized cotton fabric treated with PPy/TiO2NPs/silicon acquired an increase in the tensile
strength and crease recovery angle. Ultimately, the durability of the treatment against
several washing cycles was investigated and found to be good until 20 washing cycles.
From these promising data, it can be concluded that the functionalized cotton fabric
treated with these prepared nanocomposites by this way can find great resonance for its
application in many different fields of medical and industrial domains.
© 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND
license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: mehrez_chem@yahoo.com (M.E. El-Naggar).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2021.02.035
2238-7854/© 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
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result in synergistic action that enhances the antimicrobial

1. Introduction performance of the whole nanocomposite [3,35e40].
As established, the antibacterial features of textile fabrics
Cellulose is a natural biopolymer found most abundantly on are considered a very significant parameter [41]. In the
the earth and it is the main component in cotton fabrics [1]. It development of antibacterial textiles, several chemicals and
has many good properties, such as biocompatibility, better many of the utilized methods for preparation are unfortu-
ability to adsorb, biodegradability, softness, regeneration and nately harmful to humans and the environment as well
hygroscopic [2e5]. Over the past few years, the textile industry [4,17,42e45]. The new ideas in our current work is designed to
has concentrated on improving the functional properties of produces pro biocompatible and eco-friendly fabrics for use in
the fabrics. Worldwide, textile finishing is going to consider a the manufacturing of medical textiles and healthcare fabrics.
global material obstacle for making fabrics comfy and multi- The preparation of hybrid nanoparticles based on poly-
purpose fabrics. There have been efforts to face the demands pyrrole/titanium oxide nanoparticles (PPy/TiO2) and poly-
by using promising and efficient materials to bring new pyrrole/titanium oxide nanoparticles/silicon composites (PPy/
functional properties for textile domains. More conscientious TiO2/silicon) are incredibly beneficial since they allow the
and competitive consumer market high performance of direct production of multicomponent materials that can be
textile materials is greatly appreciated [6,7]. utilized in many research domains. A variety of advantages
Multifuctional textiles, from flame retardation, self- are provided by the preparation of hybrid nanoparticles,
cleaning, antibacterial features, UV-blocking, and many namely low-temperature processing, simplicity of operation,
more, generate impact in promoting the quality of our lives. and specific microstructural, and high specific surface area.
Among such functional fabrics, electrically conductive fabrics For applications that involve intimate regulation of the parti-
that intrinsically have electromagnetic interference shielding cle size prepared at low temperatures, these characteristics
and electrothermal heating capabilities have acquired signif- are more desirable. For the preparation of PPy/TiO2 and PPy/
icant prominence due to their wide questionnaire developed TiO2/silicon nanocomposites, a simple, safe, cost-effective,
in wearable displays, biomedical sensors, anti-radiation and scalable method has been created to promote potential
clothing, and so on [8e14]. industrial development.
For textile finishing, mesoporous silica nanoparticles Hereby, the objective of this present work was planned to
(MSNs) was used to imaprt good properties for the funcaliza- chemically synthesize the nanocomposite based on titanium
tion of cotton fabrics. MSNs have been reported to be a oxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) and polypyrrole (PPy) using a
promising material for various uses in a different fields. Such one-pot reaction without the need for the calcination
as encapsulator [13,15], drug delivery [16,17], removal of method [12]. The resulting nanocomposite is then function-
different heavy metals from wastewater such as copper alized with triethoxysilane to improve the chemical affinity
[18e21], palladium [22,23], vanadium [24], arsenic [25], cesium between the cellulosic chains and the fabricated nano-
[26], lead [27,28], cadmium [29], mercury [30], enhancing the particles particles. The work was extended to treat the cotton
flammability proofing [31], and improving the antibacterial fabric with PPy/TiO2NPs and functionalized nanocomposite
performance [32,33]. based on PPy/TiO2NPs/silicon. Morphological structure,
Conductive fabrics may generally be made by blending multifunctional properties (antibacterial, crease recovery,
metal wires directly with fabric fibers or by covering fabrics roughness, ultraviolet protection factor (UPF), electrical
with a film of conductive materials such as conductive poly- conductivity), and mechanical properties (tensile strength,
mers. It is established that Soft, flexible, air-permeable, and elongation) of the treated cotton fabrics were assessed.
waterproof are appropriate parameters for obtaining an ideal Consequently, after several repeated washing cycles, the
conductive fabric to ensure comfort and resilience for long- antibacterial properties and UPF of the processed cotton
term applications. Most techniques are used for imparting fabric were also examined.
the conductivity for cotton fabrics, namely, coating or
embedding the fabric with conductive materials. The prefer-
ence of conductive polymers in the smart textiles industry has 2. Experimental
drawn tremendous interest owing to their lightweight, ease of
application, and low production costs. Many polymers have 2.1. Materials
been used to enhance the electrical conductivity for materials
[34]. Of these conductive polymers is polypyrrole (PPy) which Mill-scoured-bleached cotton fabric (147 g/m2) supplied by El-
is extensively used in conductive textiles owing to several Mahala for Textile Industry Co., Egypt was washed in a water
advantages, including good stability, cost-effectiveness, bath containing 4% of sodium lauryl sulfate for 30 min at 40
C.
simplicity, and relatively high conductivity. Then rinsing with water and dried at 60
C for 24 h. Pyrrole
Besides, PPy can be functionalized with other metal oxide monomer (C4H5N, > 97%) from Merck (Germany) was purified
nanoparticles such as Zinc oxide (ZnONPs) or titanium oxide through distillation under reduced pressure and stored at 4
C.
nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) leading to improve the antibacterial 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (NH2eCH2eCH2eCH2eSi(OC2-
and electrical conductivity properties. Consequently, may H5)3, APTES) was obtained from Fluka, epichlorohydrin
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(C3H5OCl> 97%) and Titaniumisopropoxide (Ti(CH3CHOCH3)4) was adjusted to be neutral using sodium carbonate (0.1 M).
were supplied by ACROS (Germany) and used without further Stirring was kept for 2 days at room temperature.
purification. Ammonium persulphate (APS), sodium hydrox-
ide, sodium carbonate, chloroform, and ethanol were used as 2.2.2. Synthesis of silicon functionalized PPy/TiO2NPs by in-
analytical grade chemicals. situ polymerization
Epichlorohydrin (0.5 M) was added drop by drop to prepared
2.2. Methods PPy/TiO2NPs from the previous step under stirring, then the
mixture was kept under stirring for 1 h at 60
C. After that, 3-
2.2.1. Synthesis of PPy/TiO2NPs by in-situ polymerization aminopropyltriethoxysilane (0.5 M) was added to the mixture
Pyrrole (0.5 M) was dissolved in 500 mL de-ionized water in a under stirring and the temperature was raised to 80
C grad-
round flask. After completely dissolved, a suspended solution ually, then the mixture was kept under stirring at this tem-
containing APS (0.05 M) and titanium isopropoxide (Ti(CH3- perature for additionally 4 h. Finally, the prepared composite
CHOCH3)4; 0.003 M) in 100 mL de-ionized water was added to (PPy/TiO2NPs/silicon) was collected and rinsed with distilled
the solution drop-wise under stirring. The pH of the solution water and ethanol several times and dried for 6 h 50
C. Fig. 1

Fig. 1 e Suggested mechanism for synthesis PPy/TiO2NPs/triethoxysilane particles.

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illustrates the suggesting mechanism for the synthesis of PPy/ NMR spectrometer. NMR spectra were run at 300 MHz in
TiO2NPs and PPy/TiO2NPs/triethoxysilane. dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO-d6).
The synthesized nanocomposite and treated fabrics were
investigated and monitored using a scanning electron mi-
2.2.3. Coating of cotton fabric using prepared composites
croscope - JSM 5400 instrument (Joal, Japan). The particle
The textiles were immersed in chloroform (CHCl3) containing
shape and size of the synthesized composite were investi-
2 wt.% of the synthesized composite (PPy/TiO2NPs or PPy/
gated and monitored using Transmission Electron Microscopy
TiO2NPs/silicon (based on the cotton weight) for 30 min. After
(JEOL, JEM 1200).
that, the fabric was left for 48 h in a 5% aqueous NaOH to
X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiment was conducted on a
completely hydrolyze the alkoxy groups of the silane. Finally,
Rigaku D/MAX-IIIV X-ray Diffractometer using Ni-filtered Cu-
cotton fabric was then rinsed with distilled water and ethanol
Ka radiation with a scanning rate of 4
/min at 30 kV and
several times and dried for 6 min 100
C, then cured for 3 min
20 mA. The card number for anatase was (JCPDS no. 21e1272).
140
C. Fig. 2 and Scheme 1 illustrate the suggesting mecha-
The crystalline size for TiO2NPs was determined using the
nism for the reaction of PPy/TiO2NPs/silicon with cotton
Scherrer equation: [46].
fabric.
0:9  l
D¼
b  cosq
2.3. Characterization
where D was the average particle size, l was the XRD wave-
Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) spectra for synthesized length (l ¼ 1.5406), b was the width of the highest peak at half
composite were measured using a JASCO spectrometer with height in radian, and q as the peak angle [46].
an Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) diamond crystal. NMR The electrical conductivity of the synthesized composite
measurements were performed on a Varian Mercury VX-300 was measured using an Adwa pH-conductivity. A solution of

Fig. 2 e Suggested mechanism for the treated cotton fabric with a nanocomposite of PPy/TiO2NPs/triethoxysilane.
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Scheme 1 e Illustrated the suggested interaction between polypyrrol, TiO2 and APTEOS.
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synthesized composite 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10% (w/w) was pre- rate of 1 spin/second. The variance in the contact angle
pared for measurements and the conductivity, s (S) is value was designated as a longevity measure for the treated
determined. Besides, fabric conductivity has been also cotton samples.
evaluated [1,47].
Tensile strength and elongation at Break for cotton fabrics
was occurred according to the ASTM Standard Test Method D 3. Results and discussions
1682-2004 [48] on a tensile strength tester Veb Thuringer
Industrie Werk Rauenstein 11/2612 Germany at 25
C and 65% 3.1. Characterization of synthesised PPy/TiO2NPs/
relative humidity. The roughness of the fabric was calculated triethoxysilane
using Surface Roughness Measurement Instrument SE 1700
(ASTM D 7127-13 test process) [49]. Crease recovery angle (CRA) The synthesized composite of PPy/TiO2/silicon was investi-
was reported using a standard protocol (AATCC 66-2014) [50]. gated via NMR measurements and its spectra as illustrated in
DRS-UV visible spectrophotometer has been utilized to Fig. 3. Firstly, polymerized pyrrole with epihalohydrin was
investigate the transmittance activity of untreated and investigated and confirmed with peaks from NMR as follow:
treated cotton fiber. It has been established that UV light with PPy/with epichlorohydrin, 1H NMR (DMSO-d6): d ¼ 2.38 (m, Ha),
the UVB (280e400) and UVA (315e400) band area enables the 2.55 (m, Hb), 3.88 (t, Hc), 4.11 (t, Hd), 6.26 (t, He), 6.46 (s, Hf) and
tanning of the epidermis, their long-term application to the 7.26 (t, Hg) ppm. Further investigation was occurred for PPy/
sensitive skin induces photoallergic reaction, skin wrinkle TiO2/silicon which confirmed also through measurements as
formation, and failure of elasticity. The Ultraviolet Protection follow: PPy/epichlorohydrin/silicon, 1H NMR (DMSO-d6):
Factor (UPF) is one form of calculation to determine the ma- d ¼ 0.59 (t, Ha), 1.25 (m, Hb), 1.58 (t, Hc), 2.61 (t, Hd), 2.86 (t, He),
terials’ average protective properties after being analyzable 3.56 (t, Hf), 3.76 (s, Hg) 3.88 (t, Hh), 4.45 (t, Hi), 5.48 (s, Hj), 6.21 (t,
under the spectra [51]. Each test was performed in a triplicate Hk), 6.36 (m, Hl), and 7.42 (m, Hm) ppm.
measurement and its UPF value is the average of three ob- FT-IR spectra for PPy/TiO2 and PPy/TiO2/silicon nano-
tained values [1,3,10,47,52]. composites are presented in Fig. 4. The pyrrole monomer has a
The antibacterial efficiency of untreated and treated cotton peak at 1535 cm1 due to intra-ring C C and inter-ring CeC.
samples was quantitatively evaluated following the standard This band was shifted towards a higher frequency at
AATCC 100-2012 methodology toward E. coli (gram-negative 1519 cm1 which indicates the PPy chain after polymerization.
species) and S. aureus (gram-positive species) [53]. The absorption peak at 1165 cm1 was assigned to the CeC
To study the antibacterial activity of the treated and stretching in the pyrrole ring [55]. Besides, the IR peak
untreated cotton fabric before and after different washing observed at 1032 cm1 may be attributed to the deformation of
cycles, the fabric was cut in a square diameter and placed in the CeH bond and NeH bond of the pyrrole ring [56]. FT-IR
a sterile vial. Then 800 mL distilled water was added and the spectra of PPy/TiO2 with characteristic peaks observed in the
vial was under shaking for 10 min. After that, 2.2 mL from range of 560e650 cm1, indicated the presence of metal-
tryptone soy broth was added to each vial to be 3 mL in total oxygen bond stretching. FT-IR spectra of PPy/TiO2/Silicon
volume. 10 mL from an aliquot of examined bacteria (gram- nanocomposites have a major characteristic peaks at 2892-
positive bacterium (S. aureus) and gram-negative bacterium 2930, 1147e1200 cm1 which corresponded to SieOeCH2 and
(E. coli)) suspension was added to each vial. A control vial SieOeSi linkage respectively [57].
containing broth in the presence and absence of bacteria Fig. 5 shows TEM and SEM images for PPy/TiO2 and PPy/
was also prepared. All vials were incubated under TiO2/silicon nanocomposite. Firstly, it is clear that, both
220 rpm at 35
C. 10 mL broth was sampled at 24 h was pre- composites exhibit round shapes (Fig. 5A, B). SEM micrograph
pared on a plate. Fabric samples were transferred to the of PPy/TiO2 in Fig. 5C shows the spherical particle morphology
plates. The plates were incubated at 35
C for 24 h using a of PPy engaged in clusters. Also, an aggregation of synthesized
microscope the bacterial counts were performed. The TiO2NPs is clearly seen. Besides, this micrograph shows ho-
percent reduction of bacteria was estimated using the mogeneous dispersion of the spherical particles with insu-
following equation: lating TiO2NPs which are dispersed through particles and
improve the coupling of nanoparticles along the PPy.
 
AB SEM micrograph of PPy/TiO2/silicon in Fig. 5D also shows
Percent reduction of bacteriaðR %Þ ¼  100
A the spherical particles coated with silicon material Formation
of PPy/TiO2/silicon composite has increased the compactness
where A is the number of recovered bacteria from the inocu-
of material due to the encapsulation of PPy particles into sil-
lated test specimen in the jar incubated during the desired
icon. Besides, particles are not isolated from each other and
contact duration and B is the number of bacteria recovered
forming a conductive pathway which improves the chance of
directly after inoculation from the inoculated measured
connectivity.
specimen in the jar (at “0” contact time).
As shown from TEM and SEM micrographs in Fig. 5, the
The durability of the treated cotton fabrics was evaluated
particles are almost spherical with an average size of 93 and
by subjecting the treated samples to repeated washing (5, 10,
76 nm for PPy/TiO2/silicon and PPy/TiO2, respectively. Besides,
15, and 20 laundry washing cycles). The washing was carried
it seems that the particle size of the synthesized PPy/TiO2/
out by following the protocol (AATCC 61- 2013 standard
silicon nanocomposite is small compared to that of PPy/TiO2
procedure) [54]. In each step, the evaluated fabric was
nanocomposite, this could be attributed to the further reac-
exposed to 20 times (10 turns) sliding back and forth at a
tion condition (time and temperature), also, presence of
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Fig. 3 e NMR spectra for PPy/epichlorohydrin and PPy/TiO2/silicon.

epichlorohydrin, APTS, and TEOS cause axial shrinkage in the Fig. 6. XRD spectra of the synthesized TiO2 show a broad peak
coating silica film on the spherical particles of TiO2NPs which (JCPDS no. 21e1272) at 25.31; 31.4; 35.2; 38.3, 56.6, and 62.8
led to decreasing the particle size of the synthesized TiO2NPs. which are typical for anatase TiO2 structure [58]. the average
The XRD pattern for the synthesized PPy, PPy/TiO2, and crystalline sizes of anatase were calculated based on the
PPy/TiO2/silicon composites. The characteristic peaks of DebyeeScherer equation and it was 47 and 51 nm for PPy/
anatase TiO2NPs are well distinguished and presented in TiO2/silicon and PPy/TiO2, respectively.

Fig. 4 e FT-IR spectra for PPy/TiO2 and PPy/TiO2/silicon.

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Fig. 5 e TEM and SEM image for PPy, PPy/TiO2 and PPy/TiO2/silicon (A) TEM image for PPy/TiO2, (B) TEM image for PPy/TiO2/
silicon, (C) SEM image for PPy/TiO2, (D) SEM image for PPy/TiO2/silicon.

Electrical conductivity for PPy, PPy/TiO2, and PPy/TiO2/sil- network/package-dependent electron transport [59]. This
icon has been measured and evaluated. characteristic means that loading particles from this level makes it easier to
behavior for each prepared composite which is measured at hop the loading carrier through the polymer chain and
25
C provides a good ohmic behavior as shown in Fig. 7. The improves the physiochemical links between the PPy and
measures show that PPy/TiO2 composite provides a significant TiO2NPs in both PPy/TiO2 and PPy/TiO2/silicon composites.
electrical conductivity value higher than pure PPy and PPy/
TiO2/silicon nanocomposite.
The sharp rise in conductivity with an improvement in the
percentage of composites due to the action of particle

Fig. 7 e Electrical conductivity for PPy, PPy/TiO2, and PPy/

Fig. 6 e XRD for PPy, PPy/TiO2, and PPy/TiO2/silicon. TiO2/silicon.
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3.2. Characterization of treated cotton fabrics cotton fabric with a thin layer which may be attributed to the
effect of silicon compound (triethoxysilane). This observation
The morphological surface structure of cotton fabric treated confirms the strong coordination or complexes with the
with nanocomposites of PPy/TiO2NPs and PPy/TiO2/silicon cellulosic structure. Thus, the attachment of functionalized
were taken at low and high magnifications and the obtained PPy/TiO2NPs onto cotton fabric occurs through the strong
images are displayed in Fig. 8. Firstly, it has been observed that chemical linkage of the silicon compound and cellulosic
the untreated bleached cotton fabric is comprised of longitu- structure, which in turn, leading the important effect of sili-
dinal fibrils and bundles showing the fibrous structure with a con for imparting the durability of treated cotton fabric to be
smooth surface (data not shown). On treatment with PPy/ used many times.
TiO2NPs (Fig. 8A, B), the color of conductive cotton fabric be- Table 1 illustrates the mechanical and physical properties
comes different from the original cotton fabric due to the of untreated and treated cotton fabrics with PPy/TiO2 and PPy/
deposition of PPy/TiO2NPs on the surface of cotton fabric TiO2/silicon. The presented results in Table 1 indicate that the
which is visible by the naked eye. Besides, it is demonstrated finishing treatment is accompanied by a significant increase
that the particles of PPy/TiO2NPs are well distributed on the in tensile strength and elongation at a break for treated fabrics
fabric surface and between the fibers in the warp and weft with both composites. On the other hand, the treatment leads
directions. The deposited particles seem to be spherical with to a slight decrease in roughness values. This may be due to
no noticeable aggregation. The images were taken at high the deposition of coated film containing the TiO2NPs on the
magnification; 6000 (Fig. 8B) clarify the accurate shape of the cotton surface. The inclusion of silicon in the composite ma-
deposited fine particles. Furthermore, there is some aggrega- trix causes an increase in both tensile strength and the elon-
tion of the added composite it takes place for cotton coated gation at a break and more decreases in the roughness values
with PPy/TiO2/silicon composite (Fig. 8D). comparing to treated fabric with PPy/TiO2NPs.
Meanwhile, SEM of the cotton fabric treated with the syn- As displayed in Table 1 that the value of crease recovery
thesized nanocomposite of PPy/TiO2/silicon (Fig. 8C, D) clar- (CRA) for the untreated cotton fabric in the two directions;
ifies two observations. The first one is the deposition of small warp and weft is 50 and 45 respectively. It is revealed that
spherical particles onto and inside the surface f treated cotton these values are sharply increased to 81 and 45 with the
fabric. The second observation is the covering of the surface of treatment of cotton fabric with PPy/TiO2NPs. Upon the treat-
ment of cotton fabric with PPy/TiO2NPs/silicon, CRA increases

Fig. 8 e SEM image for treated fabric with PPy/TiO2 (a, b) and PPy/TiO2/silicon (c,d).
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Table 1 e Mechanical properties of the treated fabric.

Sample Tensile Strength (kg) Elongation at a break (%) Roughness (mm) CRA
warp weft
Untreated 41 15 17.65 50 45
Treated with PPy/TiO2NPs 56.45 31.26 15.14 81 75
Treated with PPy/TiO2NPs/silicon 67.35 37.12 14.22 88 82

to 88 and 82 for both warp and weft directions of the analyzed Based on that, it can be concluded that PPy/TiO2NPs enhance
treated cotton fabric respectively. The significant increment in the surface and lead to improving the electrical conductivity
the value of CRA with the treatment of cotton fabric with PPy/ than PPy and PPy/TiO2/silicon respectively. That is because
TiO2NPs/silicon could be attributed to the silicon compound TiO2 was characterized as a semiconductor while silane was
as a crosslinking agent. Triethoxysilane behaves as a cross- characterized as insulator materials that cause a decrease in
linking agent, enhancing the formation of chemical bonding the conductivity performance. These electrical conductivity
with hydroxyl groups of cellulosic chains, resulting in a values of treated cotton fabric are marginally decreased when
change in the cotton fabric features to generate superior cot- subjected to repeated washing cycles (5, 10, 15, and 20
ton fabric. washing cycles).
The electrical conductivity of the treated cotton fabric is However, the cotton fabric treated with the nanocomposite
further explored. Fig. 9 shows electrical conductivity before of PPy/TiO2/silicon is still imparted excellent electrical con-
and after 20 washing cycles for the cotton fabrics treated with ductivity even after 20 washing cycles. Based on the aforesaid
different concentrations of different ratios of PPy, PPy/TiO2, data, it can be established that the silicon compound has a
and PPy/TiO2/silicon. It has been known that the untreated noteworthy function as a good crosslinking agent preventing
cotton fabric is mainly insulating in nature (electrical con- the leaching out of PPy/TiO2NPs from the cotton surface and
ductivity of around 1014 S cm1) [1]. But after treatment with enhance its efficacy as an electrical conductivity compound.
this component, the electrical conductivity increases. Besides, For further examination, the antibacterial properties of the
it is remarkable that the electrical conductivity of the treated treated cotton fabric with nanocomposites of PPy/TiO2NPs
cotton fabric increases with increasing the composite con- and PPy/TiO2/silicon are assessed and the data are set in Table
centration. Thus, the cotton fabric treated with 10% of PPy, 2. Besides, the treated cotton fabrics are also evaluated against
PPy/TiO2, and PPy/TiO2/silicon impart the highest value for the most pathogenic bacteria after washing cycles. The eval-
electrical conductivity. However, the electrical conductivity of uation is carried out against E. coli and S. aureus. From the data
the cotton fabric treated with PPy/TiO2NPs is higher than that recorded in Table 2, the untreated cotton fabric does not
of those treated with PPy and PPy/TiO2/silicon respectively. exhibit reduction growth for the tested bacteria. Meanwhile, it
is revealed that the cotton fabric treated with a nano-
composite of PPy/TiO2NPs and PPy/TiO2/silicon has excellent
antibacterial properties. The reduction percent for the cotton
fabric treated with PPy/TiO2NPs and PPy/TiO2/silicon exceeds
96% and 97% for both E. coli and S. aureus respectively. Thus,
the cotton fabric treated with these two nanocomposites
nearly has the same values. However, the obtained values of
bacterial growth reduction are sharply decreased for the cot-
ton fabric treated with PPy/TiO2NPs after washing cycles (5, 10,
15, and 20 washing cycles) illustrating that the durability of
this fabric to resist bacterial growth is low, which, indeed, a
crosslinking agent (silicon compound) is very important to
Fig. 9 e Electrical conductivity for treated fabric with PPy, impart durable antibacterial cotton fabric. Thus, the cotton
PPy/TiO2, and PPy/TiO2/silicon before and after washing. fabric treated with a nanocomposite of PPy/TiO2NPs/silicon

Table 2 e Antibacterial reduction and UPF factor of treated fabric before and after several washing cycles.
Fabric sample Reduction % UPF
E. coli S. aureus
before after washing before after washing
washing washing
5 10 20 5 10 20 before after
cycle cycle cycle cycle cycle cycle washing washing
Untreated 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11.08 11.04
Treated with PPy/TiO2 98.35 96.87 85.42 78.99 98.65 97.17 87.71 83.28 151.24 143.55
Treated with PPy/TiO2/ 98.12 96.65 95.20 93.77 98.85 97.87 96.42 94.99 161.40 152.19
silicon
552 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 1 ; 1 2 : 5 4 2 e5 5 4

has superior antibacterial properties even after 20 washing radiations. Besides, there is an improvement in the tensile
cycles. The excellent antibacterial of the functionalized strength and angle of crease recovery of the fabrics after PPy/
treated cotton fabric may be attributed to the existence of sil- TiO2NPs/silicon treatment due to thin-film developed onto the
icon which enhances the formation of strong chemical bonds surface of cotton fabrics. The functionalization of cotton fab-
with cellulosic hydroxyl groups. These strong bonds prohibit ric with the hybrid nanocomposite (PPy/TiO2NPs/silicon)
leaching out of the antibacterial substance even after washing enhanced and facilitated the efficiency of treated cotton fabric
cycles. The functionalized nanocomposite is strongly inter- as electrically conductive, antibacterial, and UPF fabric even
acted with the bacterial cell membrane and deactivates most after 20 washing cycles. Based on the obtained results, the
of the enzymes in the respiratory chain, contributing to bac- treated cotton fabrics with the nominated hybrid nano-
terial cell self-destruction and hinders the growth of bacteria. composites may be used for medical, biosensor, and electro-
Moving to the second part of Table 2, UPF of untreated and magnetic shielding applications.
treated cotton fabric. UPF of cotton fabric has been evaluated
before washing and after 20 washing cycles. As known, UPF is
a very important parameter for obtaining environmentally Declaration of Competing Interest
and sports textiles. As known, harmful radiation can cause
skin cancer while subjecting the skin to this radiation for a The authors declare that they have no known competing
long time. Thus, in our study, we aimed beside obtaining financial interests or personal relationships that could have
conductive and antibacterial fabric to get UPF fabric via the appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
addition of TiO2NPs within the prepared composite. It is
revealed that untreated cotton fabric has a very small UPF
value before washing which is remained after the repeated
Acknowledgments
washing cycles. Upon treatment of the cotton fabric with PPy/
TiO2NPs, the UPF value sharply increases to be around 151.
The authors are thankful to the National Research Centre,
The UPF value of the treated cotton fabric marginally de-
Cairo, Egypt for provided facilities.
creases to be around 143 after 20 washing cycles. The same
trend is for the treated cotton fabric with PPy/TiO2/silicon but
with a high UPF value (161.4). Nevertheless, the value is still
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