Proof‐of‐Concept Roll‐to‐Roll Fabrication of Antimicrobial Textiles by Polydopamine‐Assisted Electroless Silver Plating

ABSTRACT Silver (Ag) is widely used for antimicrobial textiles due to its strong biocidal activity, but conventional Ag coating methods are often expensive and involve complex processing steps. In this study, we present a simple, solution‐based approach using polydopamine (PDA)‐assisted electroless Ag plating, which enables uniform Ag deposition on textiles with improved scalability. We systematically investigate the effects of pH, temperature, and oxygen concentration on the growth kinetics of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) during PDA‐assisted electroless Ag plating. Results show that elevated temperature (65°C), alkaline solution (pH = 10), and increased oxygen purging (50 sccm) each significantly accelerates Ag NP deposition, with coverage up to 56.69% and particle sizes up to 69.48 ± 14.89 nm. Optical and structural analyses confirmed enhanced PDA deposition as the key to expediting Ag NP growth on various textiles. Using this accelerated process, we developed a cost‐effective, 3D‐printed roll‐to‐roll system to scale up fabrication, achieving rapid and uniform Ag NP deposition. The resulting textiles exhibited superior antimicrobial properties, offering an affordable and effective solution for high‐performance hygiene applications.