Deposition of one-dimensional zinc oxide structures on polypropylene fabrics and their antibacterial properties

Abstract

In this article, a new method of modification of polypropylene fabric surface is presented, in order to obtain a material with antibacterial properties. The surface of the fabric is modified by direct deposition of the hexagonal zinc oxide rods onto the surface. For this reason, the influence of temperature on the size and morphology of microstructures of ZnO was investigated. Deposition was carried out at two temperatures, 75 and 90℃. The surface of the fabrics was treated with oxygen plasma. The influence of oxygen plasma on the parameters of rods was examined. The microstructure and crystalline structure of ZnO rods were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. In addition, the impact of morphology and size of obtained ZnO structures on the biological activity of modified materials was determined. The tests revealed that the modified fabric shows very good antibacterial activity.