Horseradish Peroxidase-catalyzed “Template” Polymerization of Gallic Acid for the Functionalization of Silk Fabrics

Gallic acid was synthesized using a new approach and arranged on three kind of templates (PEG, PEGMDE, Pluronic F68) using an horseradish peroxide (HRP)-catalyzed oxidative polymerization. The polymerization mechanism was investigated in detail using UV-Vis, FT-IR and HPLC-ESI-MS. In addition, the wettability, thermal properties and anti-UV activity of their corresponding dyed silk fabrics were investigated. The results confirmed that during the catalysis of gallic acid by HRP, the templates promoted the enzymatic polymerization in terms of the amount of poly(gallic acid) produced and the degree of polymerization. In addition, the template-treated silk fabrics exhibited enhanced wettability, anti-UV activity and color fastness than fabric treated with poly(gallic acid) in the absence of the templates. Upon analyzing the color depth, the K/S value of the silk fabrics dyed using the templates was significantly higher than that in the absence of the templates. The silk fabric dyed in the presence of templates showed higher fastness in all of the color fastness tests. This may expand the application range of natural phenols for textile dyeing and functionalization, and provide new outlooks for the environmentally friendly production of natural functional fabric.