Preparation and Performance Study of Antibacterial Self‐Cleaning Cotton Fabrics

ABSTRACT To solve the issues of single performance and insufficient durability of traditional functional textiles, in this study, an amino‐enriched layer was constructed by co‐deposition of polydopamine (PDA)/polyethyleneimine (PEI) on the fabric surface. Then, through the grafting of octadecylamine (ODA) and the in situ growth of zinc oxide nanoparticles, and finally, chlorination treatment was carried out to form N‐chloramine active sites. A micro‐nano composite superhydrophobic surface with antibacterial property was successfully constructed on the surface of cotton fabric. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) characterization confirmed the in situ formation of ZnO particles on the fiber surface. The characteristic peaks in the X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectrum verified the occurrence of Michael addition and Schiff base reactions among PDA/PEI/ODA. Performance tests demonstrated that the PDA/PEI/ODA/ZnO‐Cotton‐Cl composite exhibited a static water contact angle of 153° ± 2° and achieved a 87.8% ± 5.2% degradation rate to Methylene blue (MB) solution, and its antibacterial rate against both Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) reached 100%, indicating that this fabric had excellent antibacterial self‐cleaning property. After 20 washing cycles, the fabric maintains high antibacterial efficacy and water repellency, demonstrating excellent durability. Additionally, it can be readily rechlorinated to restore its chlorine content. This material exhibits significant potential for medical protective equipment and outdoor applications, providing a novel approach to developing multifunctional textiles.