Optimized one-pot room-temperature interfibrillar synthesis of silver nanoparticles using cotton fiber as reductant for pathogen-resistant protective textiles

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) incorporated cotton fabrics offer broad applications; however, conventional syntheses rely on toxic and costly reducing agents, involve complex multi-step and energy-intensive processing, and result in poor laundering performance due to surface-bound nanoparticle deposition. Herein, a simplified one-pot, room-temperature method is reported to produce AgNP-incorporated cotton (NanoAgCot), with cotton fiber acting as the sole reducing agent under alkaline conditions. This simple process yields highly uniform nanoparticles (14.74 ± 6.61 nm in diameter) distributed on both the fiber surface and interfibrils, achieving a high loading of 22,888 ± 2967 mg kg −1 without an external reducing agent, stabilizing agent, heat, or light. Nanoparticle growth conditions were optimized using Sequential Least Squares Quadratic Programming (SLSQP), varying alkali concentration and reaction time. The NanoAgCot fabric exhibited excellent wash durability, retaining over 55 % of nanoparticles after 50 machine-wash cycles. Importantly, the fabric displayed potent antibacterial properties, achieving complete inhibition of the plant pathogen Pantoea agglomerans, evaluated for the first time in the context of AgNP-incorporated cotton fabric, as well as Bacillus subtilis , and 99.997% and >99.9997% inhibition of the clinical pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus , respectively. These findings highlight the potential of this approach to deliver cost-effective, material-saving, and wash-durable antimicrobial cotton fabrics, suitable for protective clothing for agricultural workers and healthcare professionals in high-risk environments.