Remarkable durability of the antibacterial function achieved via a coordination effect of Cu(II) ion and chitosan grafted on cotton fibers

We report here a simple and effective method applying a combination of chitosan (Cs) and Cu(II) ion to fabricate antibacterial cotton fabric with a remarkable durability against laundering. The antibacterial fabric was prepared by grafting Cs onto cotton fibers through a succinic acid linkage, following with loading Cu(II) ions by the coordination effect. The modified fabric achieved 100% bacterial reduction (BR) rates against both S. aureus and E. coli, and remarkable laundering durability was confirmed even after 100 washing cycles. Moreover, longer Cs chains grafted on fibers shown enhanced chelating capability with Cu(II) ions. When compared to copper nanoparticles, our strategy has advantages in terms of low dosage of Cu(II), reasonable cost, simple process, reduced environmental hazards, and improved antibacterial durability. This work is believed to be a practical strategy for developing environment-friendly and cost-effective long-acting antibacterial cotton textiles.