Smart textile integrated with nanofilms of conductive polypyrrole nanocomposite toward high-performance applications

Cotton fibers have been a major source for a variety of textile and non-textile industries. However, there have been growing demands to discover additional sources for cotton fibers at low cost and high quality. In addition, the development of functional textiles distinguished by biological activity, ultraviolet protection, photocatalytic self-cleaning, electroconductivity, and superhydrophobicity has been desirable. Herein, this study reports the deposition of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and polypyrrole (Ppyr) nanocomposite onto a plasma-assisted nonwoven cotton via the pad-dry-cure method toward multifunctional recycled textiles. The needle punching technology was applied to the recycled fibers to develop nonwoven fibers with diameters of 8-10 μm. REDOX polymerization of Ppyr in association with the reduction of silver nitrate to Ag 0 (15-19 nm) results in the formation of insoluble nanocomposite inside the fibrous bulk, achieving good colorfastness without altering the mechanical properties of the cotton textiles. The electroconductive fabric was produced using the plasma-assisted integration of AgNPs/Ppyr, providing a conductivity of 0.6176 S/cm. The hydrophobic properties were conferred to the cotton fabric, reaching a contact angle of 163.0°. The inclusion of Ag 0 in the nonwoven fabric produced a brown color (410 nm) for plasma-activated textile and a yellowish-brown color (392 nm) for plasma-uncured textile.