Citation: Novoa, C.C.; Tortella, G.;
Seabra, A.B.; Diez, M.C.; Rubilar, O.
Cotton Textile with Antimicrobial
Activity and Enhanced Durability
Produced by L-Cysteine-Capped
Silver Nanoparticles. Processes 2022,
10, 958. https://doi.org/10.3390/
pr10050958
Academic Editors: Arkadiusz Gola,
Izabela Nielsen and Patrik Grznár
Received: 1 April 2022
Accepted: 25 April 2022
Published: 11 May 2022
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Article
Cotton Textile with Antimicrobial Activity and Enhanced
Durability Produced by L-Cysteine-Capped
Silver Nanoparticles
Carla Cisternas Novoa
1,2
, Gonzalo Tortella
2
, Amedea B. Seabra
3
, María Cristina Diez
2,4
and Olga Rubilar
2,4,
*
1
Doctoral Program of Science of Natural Resources, Universidad de La Frontera, Francisco Salazar 1145,
Temuco 4780000, Chile; carla.cisternas@ufrontera.cl
2
Centro de Excelencia en Investigación Biotecnológica Aplicada Al Medioambiente (CIBAMA_BIOREN),
Universidad de La Frontera, Francisco Salazar 1145, Temuco 4780000, Chile;
gonzalo.tortella@ufrontera.cl (G.T.); cristina.diez@ufrontera.cl (M.C.D.)
3
Center for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC (UFABC), Santo André 09210-580, Brazil;
amedea.seabra@ufabc.edu.br
4
Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidad de La Frontera, Francisco Salazar 1145,
Temuco 4780000, Chile
* Correspondence: olga.rubilar@ufrontera.cl
Abstract:
Background: In this study, L-cysteine-capped silver nanoparticles (Cys-AgNPs) were
successfully linked in a cotton textile, being attached in a covalent way to the cotton fibers via
esterification with the hydroxyl groups from the cellulose. The AgNPs were strongly adhered to
the fiber surface through coordination bonds with the thiol groups from the L-cys. In addition, they
were compared with biogenic silver nanoparticles produced from fungi (bio-AgNPs). Materials and
methods: The characterization of the Cys-AgNP and the bio-AgNP solutions were accomplished by
UV
−
visible (UV
−
Vis), Z-potential, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). After the attachment of the Cys-
AgNPs and the bio-AgNPs to the raw cotton, the textile surface was characterized by variable pressure
scanning electron microscopy (VP-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and Fourier transform
infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The antibacterial activity was performed by disk diffusion analysis.
Results: The results of the UV
−
Vis analysis showed the presence of AgNPs in the Cys-AgNPs
and the bio-AgNPs solutions, showing the Surface Plasmon resonance (SPR) for the AgNPs among
380–420 nm
. In addition, they exhibited a Z-potential of
−
27 and
−
24 mV, respectively, with the
presence of elemental silver shown by the XRD analysis. The VP-SEM images from the cotton
fabrics covered in Cys-AgNPs and bio-AgNPs showed the presence of spherical AgNPs on their
surface, and EDX analysis revealed the presence of peaks associated with the presence of Ag, C,
and O. Furthermore, FT-IR analysis exhibited peaks associated with the presence of L-cysteine
(SH-) and carboxylic acid arising from the esterification reaction among the cellulose from cotton
and the carboxylic acid in the L-Cys molecules. Finally, the cotton textile exhibited antibacterial
activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the
ability of Cys-AgNPs to bind to the cellulose from cotton fabric so as to produce antibacterial fabrics
with enhanced durability, opening a wide range of options to be further used in healthcare and
other industries.
Keywords:
cotton textile; textile modification; L-cysteine; antimicrobial activity; silver nanoparticles
1. Introduction
Over the past few years, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been broadly used for their
potent antimicrobial activity against several microorganisms [
1
]. They have been widely
utilized in the healthcare, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and environmental industries [
2
],
Processes 2022, 10, 958. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10050958 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/processes
