Ln-MOF in production of durable antimicrobial and UV-Protective fluorescent cotton fabric for potential application in military textiles

• Published in: Scientific reports 2025-01, Vol.15 (1), p.1070-16, Article 1070
• Main Authors: Emam, Hossam E., Abdelhameed, Reda M., Darwesh, Osama M., Ahmed, Hanan B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 639/301/357/404; 639/301/357/551; 639/638/542/970; Ammonium; Ammonium chloride; Anti-Infective Agents - chemistry; Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology; Antimicrobial; Cationization; Cotton; Cotton fabrics; Cotton Fiber - analysis; E coli; Escherichia coli - drug effects; Europium; Europium - chemistry; Fabrics; Fluorescent; Humanities and Social Sciences; Immobilization; Ln-MOF; Metal-Organic Frameworks - chemistry; Metal-Organic Frameworks - pharmacology; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; multidisciplinary; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects; Terbium; Terbium - chemistry; Textiles; Textiles - microbiology; Ultraviolet radiation; Ultraviolet Rays; UV protection
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-84020-z

Industrialization of military textiles faces many challenges and some requirements such as durability, protection and suitability for hostile environment must be provided. Herein, fluorescent protective cotton with ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-protection and antimicrobial property was currently prepared via the immobilization of lanthanide-metal organic framework (Ln-MOF). Cotton fabrics were primarily activated via cationization process with 3-Chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride to obtain the cationized cotton (Q-cotton). Subsequently, Ln-MOFs based on Europium (Eu) and Terbium (Tb) were separately immobilized within cotton and Q-cotton fabrics. The obtained Ln-MOF@fabrics showed good fluorescent character, while three and four emission bands were estimated for Eu-MOF@fabric and Tb-MOF@fabric, respectively, related to the electron transition from 5D 0 to 7F 0-4 in Eu 3+ and from 5D 4 to 7F 3-6 in Tb 3+ . After Ln-MOF incorporation, UVR-protection factor (UPF) was significantly enlarged from 1.9 (insufficient UPF) to 22.1–25.6 (good UPF) without cationization and to 32.4–37.8 (very good UPF) for Q-cotton. Against three different pathogens ( Escherichia coli , staphylococcus Aureus and Candida albicans ), Ln-MOF@fabrics exhibited good microbial reduction of 68–79% and 81–91% in case of cotton and Q-cotton, respectively. The cationization improved the functionality and durability of fabrics, while the acquired functions were still existed even after 10 repetitive washings.