Designing UV-protective and hydrophilic or hydrophobic cotton fabrics through in-situ ZnO synthesis using biodegradable waste extracts

• ZnO was prepared directly on cotton fabric using a completely green synthesis method. • Plant waste from food processing or invasive alien species was used for the preparation of reducing agents. • Different properties of cotton can be designed according to the reducing agent used. • Sustainable hydrophilic or hydrophobic cotton with excellent UV-protection was produced. An extensive study on using plant waste aqueous extracts as natural chemicals for in-situ synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) on cotton is presented. Reducing agents were prepared from green tea leaves (GT), pomegranate peels (PG), and staghorn sumac leaves (SsL) and drupes (SsD), and the alkaline medium from discarded wood ash. Zinc acetate was found to be more appropriate precursor than zinc nitrate. Formation of ZnO on cotton was confirmed by energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and X-ray fluorescence results showed the highest amount of ZnO on cotton was formed using PG and SsL extracts, which was also confirmed with scanning electron microscopy and UV/visible spectroscopy. The ZnO-functionalised samples exhibited excellent UV-blocking ability and different wetting properties (hydrophilic or hydrophobic) depending on the reducing agent used due to their different total phenolic content. This study shows that by choosing the plant waste source as a reducing agent for ZnO formation directly on cotton, the properties of cotton can be designed to be hydrophilic or hydrophobic with excellent UV-blocking properties. The XRD results of ex-situ synthesis prove that the short reaction time enables the formation of ZnO.