Antimicrobial nano-Ag-TiO2 coating for lining leather

In this study, the characterization and the antimicrobial properties of nanosized Ag-TiO2 coatings on leather were investigated. For this purpose, turbidity, viscosity and pH of nAg-TiO2 solutions prepared by the sol-gel method were measured. The surface morphology of treated leathers was observed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and the elemental analysis was performed by energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The antimicrobial performance of nAg-TiO2 coatings on leather materials to the test microorganisms as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Aspergillius niger was evaluated by the application of qualitative (Agar overlay method) and quantitative (percentage of microbial reduction) tests. According to qualitative test results it was found that 2% and higher concentrations of nAg-TiO2 on the leather samples were effective against all microorganisms tested. Moreover, quantitative test results showed that leather samples treated with 5% of nAg-TiO2 demonstrated the highest antibacterial activity against E. coli with 93.50% bacterium removal, whereas 2% of nAg-TiO2 on leather was enough to exhibit the excellent percentage reduction against S. aureus of 99.99%. The results are promising for the use of colloidal nano Ag-TiO2 solution on lining leather as antimicrobial coating. © 2016 University of Bucharest