Rough surface based on zein and rosin
A new study describes the construction of a rough surface based on zein and rosin to hydrophobically functionalise cotton fabric with antibacterial activity.
Hydrophobic and antibacterial functionalisation of cellulosic fabric (cotton) were performed via a simple immersion process with two natural polymers: zein and rosin. Compared to zein-treated cotton fabric, the water contact angle (WCA) value of cotton fabric treated with zein-rosin complex increased from 119.62 ± 3.11° to 133.14 ± 2.5° and the water resistance was long-lasting.
Good antibacterial activity
Test results showed that a rougher surface from zein was obtained with the addition of rosin, which contributed to the hydrophobic property of the fabric. In addition, the results showed that the functional cotton fabrics exhibited good antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus and the bacterial inhibition rates were 92.2 % and 87.2 %, respectively. The functional fabrics retained their mechanical properties, air permeability and water vapor permeability.
The study has been published in Progress in Organic Coatings, Volume 184, November 2023.
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