Abstract:

Antibacterial properties have been given to the surface of a cotton fabric by a two-stage process of chemical modification. First, the fabric was treated with chloroacetyl chloride in THF using pyridine as a catalyst to incorporate chloroacetate groups. During the second stage, the chloroacetylated cotton was reacted with a potassium salt of a bioactive 1-naphthylacetic acid to prepare a cellulose-1-naphthylacetic acid adduct. The results of the FTIR ATR spectra confirmed the existence of a chemical linkage between 1-naphtylacetic acid and the cellulose chains. As a result of this modification, the cotton fabric surface becomes hydrophobic, and the fabric thermal stability is decreased. The hydrolysis in the heterogenous phase of adducts showed that the release of the bioactive compound is dependent on the pH values of the medium. An analysis of the antibacterial activity of one of the obtained adducts towards Escherichia coli was also performed.