Preparation and Properties of Cotton Fabric Modified With a Hydrogel Containing ZnO Nanoparticles

Abstract

ZnO particle size, concentration, morphology and surface modification have been a topic of discussion for quite a long time in the medical sector. In this work ZnO Nanoparticles and Hydrogel were synthesised by a simple precipitation technique and are used on a fabric bandage. The Hydrogels were synthesised using Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) with Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) as a solvent and N, N- methylenebisacrylamide (bis-AAm) as the cross linker.  Through water absorption measurement, the Hydrogel shows good moisture absorption capacity. ZnO Nanoparticles were synthesized using a simple Chemical Precipitation Technique with Zinc Sulphate and Ammonia as starting materials. The synthesized sample was calcined at 400⁰c temperature for 5 hrs. The sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The hydrogel was utilized to provide uniform distribution and binding of the nanoparticles to the fibre surface and to prevent their agglomeration. The resulting ZnO-Hydrogel fabric bandage was investigated for antibiotic activity against gram-negative bacteria of three species; E.Coli, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus aureus known as important pathogens in clinical infections. Significantly far above the ground antibacterial effect on the bacteria tested was achieved. This showed potential application of the new formulations as effective wound dressings to control the spread of infections.