Development of Durable Ciprofloxacin Grafted Poly (Maleic Anhydride‐ <i>Alt</i> ‐1‐Octadecene) Coated Cotton Fabric for Antimicrobial Application

ABSTRACT Developing antimicrobial fabrics has received a lot of attention due to their numerous uses in medical, hygiene, hospitals, etc. However, the majority of antimicrobial textile materials currently available in the market have limited applications due to their poor antimicrobial durability and microbial anti‐adhesion ability. In this work, ciprofloxacin grafted poly (maleic anhydride‐ alt ‐octadecene) having long‐term antimicrobial durability was developed and confirmed by spectroscopic techniques. Further, thermal analysis was carried out to determine thermal stability and glass transition temperature. The antimicrobial activity of the synthesized polymer was evaluated against four microorganisms, namely Candida albicans , Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus , and Mycobacterium smegmatis . Polymer showed a zone of inhibition of 16.0 ± 0.0–17.5 ± 0.5 mm, 26.5 ± 0.5–30.0 ± 0.0 mm, 20.5 ± 0.5–22.5 ± 0.5 mm, and 16.0 ± 0.0–17.5 ± 0.5 mm against C. albicans , M. smegmatis , S. aureus , and E. coli , respectively. Minimum inhibitory concentration of the synthesized polymer against these four microorganisms was evaluated by the Resazurin assay method, and it was found to be &lt; 0.39 μg. Further, the polymer coated cotton fabric also showed very good antimicrobial activity against the above microorganisms. Cytotoxicity study of the synthesized polymer was done against human dermal fibroblast cell lines, and it was found to be non‐toxic. Finally, water contact angle, durability, and stability of polymer coated fabric were also illustrated. It was found that about 96% of the coated polymer remained on the fabric even after 60 days.