Sunlight induced synthesis of silver nanoparticles on cellulose for the preparation of antimicrobial textiles

Antibiotic resistance is a major threat to heath with the use of silver nanoparticles as a possible approach; however, the synthetic routes of such nanomaterials are not environmentally friendly because of the chemicals required. In this work we approach both problems with a single solution that employs sunlight in the visible spectrum to prepare nanosilver on the surface of cotton fabrics soaked in a solution of silver nitrate. Photoactivation leads to the activation of aldehyde groups providing reducing ability to cellulose and enabling the formation of elemental silver without the use of any chemical reducing agents. Concentrations of silver nitrate solution of 30 g/L reached the saturation of the content of elemental silver on fabric at 52.8 mg/dm2. SEM images showed that silver particles were evenly distributed in fabric in the form of spherical particles 100–600 nm in diameter. The materials exhibited antimicrobial properties against E. coli and S. aureus retaining such properties after repeated washings. Moreover, no adverse effects were observed on fibroblast cells exposed to the prepared textiles