Preparation and characterization of cotton fabrics with antibacterial properties treated by crosslinkable benzophenone derivative in choline chloride-based deep eutectic solvents

Cotton fabrics with antibacterial properties were prepared by the treatment with 3,3′4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPTCD) in a combined process of shaking immersion in dyeing machine and pad-dry-cure. Environmentally-benign choline chloride (ChCl)-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were mainly examined as treatment media instead of using organic solvent. The results revealed that cotton fabrics treated with BPTCD in urea-ChCl DES showed a strong ester carbonyl peak in fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, indicating fixation of BPTCD on cotton cellulose. Detailed characterizations of the BPTCD-treated cotton were carried out by FTIR, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, dye staining, and evaluation of hydrophilicity and strength. The treated fabrics demonstrated a high level of antibacterial characteristics before and after UV irradiation. This indicated that addition of ChCl could enhance antibacterial activity of cotton before UV irradiation. Therefore, use of ChCl-based DES along with BPTCD incorporation provided environmentally-acceptable and economically-feasible treatment process for preparation of novel antibacterial cotton.