# Green approach for improving functionality of medical protective textiles using ZnO NPs

## TL;DR

This paper presents a green method to enhance medical protective textiles by using enzyme-treated fabrics and zinc oxide nanoparticles for antimicrobial and UV protection.

## Contribution

A novel green approach using enzymatic treatment and ZnO NPs to improve textile functionality is introduced.

## Key findings

- Enzymatic treatment combined with ZnO NPs significantly improves antimicrobial and UV protection properties of fabrics.
- The enhanced functionality remains durable after multiple washing cycles.
- SEM, EDX, and FT-IR confirmed successful nanoparticle loading and surface activation.

## Abstract

The article explores the possibility of applying enzymatic treatment as a green approach for fabric surface activation that can facilitate loading polyester containing cotton fabrics zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) prepared by sol–gel method. Cotton and PET/C fabrics treated by neutral (Cellu GN 50) and acid (Producto EAPS 55), cellulase enzymes before and after loading with ZnO NPs were investigated by the use of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Electron Dispersion Emission X-Ray (EDX) and Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR).The functionality of activated fabrics loaded by ZnO NPs was evaluated by analyzing their antimicrobial activity and UV protection efficacy. Antimicrobial activity of activated fabrics and loaded by sol ZnO NPs was tested against Gram-positive (Bacillus mycoides), Gram-negative (Escherichia coli), and nonfilamentous fungus (Candida albicans). The level of UV protection was verified by the UV Protection factor (UPF) of fabrics. Activated and loaded fabrics with sol ZnO NPs showed outstanding antimicrobial and UV protection efficiency. The achieved antimicrobial function and UV protection on the fabrics are durable with repeated laundering processes even after five washing cycles.