Antibacterial wool fabric with enhanced photostability, UV protection and hydrophilicity through surface acylation and TiO2 nanocoating

The development of functional textiles through applying nanocoatings has attracted significant attention in recent years. However, poor durability of nanocoatings highlights the necessity of modifying the surface chemistry of fibers to maximize the adherence of nanomaterials. In this study, the surface of wool fibers was modified through the acylation process with succinic anhydride and then post-treatment with anatase TiO₂ colloid synthesized via the sol-gel method. Different aspects including the role of wool acylation on fibers chemistry, photostability, UV protection and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria were discussed. Furthermore, wetting behavior, light and wash fastness, dyeability, and cytotoxicity of fabrics were investigated, and the role of each coating step was clarified. The findings confirmed that the modified fabric exhibited enhanced photostability under UVA radiation as tested using the photo-induced chemiluminescence (PICL) analysis. The functional fabric provided an excellent UPF level of 140, indicating 37 % improvement compared with pristine wool. The acylated fabric treated with TiO₂ colloid was hydrophilic and showed a washing fastness up to five accelerated wash cycles. The existence of TiO₂ led to a weaker color strength (K/S) on the dyed fabric, but did not photocatalytically affect the light fastness. The cytotoxicity test did not show any toxic effects on the examined cells viability. Moreover, comprehensive analyses using XPS, FTIR, SEM, and EDX mapping techniques were conducted to characterize the nano-treated fabrics. The outcomes of this research provide new insights on some less explored properties of functionalized textiles, paving the way for real-world applications.