Ultraviolet Protection and Antibacterial Properties of Polylactic Acid Nonwoven Fabrics Coated with Water-Borne Polyurethane/Zinc Oxide Composite Coatings

Year 2024, Volume: 28 Issue: 5, 1010 - 1021

Gülçin Baysal

Abstract

This study aimed to create thermally curable, water-borne polyurethane/zinc oxide (WPU/ZnO) composite coating pastes with varying ZnO concentrations. ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using a wet chemical process, and the resulting WPU/ZnO coating pastes were applied to PLA nonwoven fabrics (NWFs). In characterization studies, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were conducted. Ultraviolet (UV) protection and antibacterial activity of fabrics were investigated. With WPU/ZnO composite coatings, the UV protection properties of the coated fabrics were enhanced compared to the uncoated fabric. The highest UPF value of 53.57 was obtained with the fabric coated with the formulation containing a ZnO concentration of 10%. This fabric also demonstrated more effective antibacterial activity against both S. aureus and E. coli bacteria. Inhibition zone diameters against E. coli and S. aureus bacteria were measured as 15.5 ± 0.70 mm and 18.25 ± 0.35 mm, respectively. The results of this study illustrate that functional composite coatings for bio-based NWF structures hold great promise for producing effective UV protective and antibacterial materials, potentially setting the stage for future applications.

Keywords

Zinc oxide, Water-borne polyurethane, Nonwoven fabric, Composite coating

Supporting Institution

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBİTAK)

Project Number

TÜBİTAK (122M737)

Thanks

The author is grateful for the financial support (project number 122M737) from The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK).

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