Surface engineering of textiles with nanoselenium using microwave technique for comprehensive protection against pathogens, inflammation, and UV exposure

Medical textiles represent a rapidly growing segment within functional textiles, driven by the need for enhanced health protection. Herein, selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have emerged as promising agents due to their intrinsic antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and biocompatible properties. This study introduces a novel method for imparting multifunctional properties to cotton fabrics by embedding SeNPs using microwave-assisted deposition on both untreated and cationized cotton substrates. Air permeability and vapor permeability were non-observably decreased from 14.5 cm³/cm² s and 1766 g/m² day for cationized cotton to 12.3 cm³/cm² s and 1727 g/m² day for the sample prepared with higher Se concentration (Se@Q-Cotton (4)). Antimicrobial tests showed a reduction of 94.4–95.3% for Staphylococcus aureus and 86.0–86.4% for Escherichia coli, both before and after 10 washing cycles, indicating strong durability. Furthermore, Se@Q-Cotton (4) maintained significant anti-inflammatory efficacy, with cell viability measured at 76.9% before and 41.6% after repeated washing. UV protective properties were also enhanced, with an initial UPF of 55.5 that remained at a very good level (39.1) after washing. These findings confirm the potential of SeNPs-treated cotton fabrics as highly durable medical textiles with superior antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and UV protective functionalities, suitable for long-term clinical and protective applications.