ZIF-L coated cotton fabric for antibacterial and self-cleaning applications

Textiles that possess antibacterial and self-cleaning properties play a crucial role in preventing the growth and spread of microbes. Zeolitic imidazolate framework-L (ZIF-L) nanostructures have gained significant attention in research due to their ability to sustainably release Zn ²⁺ ions, coupled with the physical destruction of bacteria by their blade tips. Integrating natural fabrics with ZIF-L represents an effective approach to enhancing the value-added features of textiles with unique functionalities. In this study, we reported a facile technology for the in-situ growth of ZIF-L on cotton fabrics. A uniform and dense coating of leaf-shaped nanostructures by doping Cu ²⁺ ions on ZIF-L was formed on the cotton fiber surface (Cu@ZIF-L@Cotton), followed by treatment with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) to obtain water-repellent MTMS/Cu@ZIF-L@Cotton fabric. The resulting fabrics exhibited excellent antibacterial activities against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, effectively killing 5 log CFU (>99.999%) of E. coli and S. aureus. Furthermore, the prepared cotton fabric not only showed hydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 132° ± 0.58 but also displayed good self-cleaning properties. Additionally, these fabricated fabrics showed good functional stability after washing. It is therefore believed these valuable functions could significantly enhance the practical feasibility of the fabric in various application scenarios.