There is a growing interest for producing multifunctional cellulose fabrics using green and sustainable technology. In this study, we explored an eco-friendly procedure for dyeing cotton fabrics with Malva sylvestris (MS) as a natural colorant and rendering antibacterial cotton fabric by the silver nanoparticles. MS colorants were extracted from dried petals in water using the ultrasound technique, cotton fabrics were dyed with the extracted MS colorant at 100°C for 90 min. The colorimetric data and colorfastness properties were investigated in the absence and presence of tannic acid (TA) as a bio-mordant. Results indicated that MS dye had a high potential for reducing the silver nitrate, so that the silver particle size distribution on cotton fabric was obtained 50-80 nm, and TA had a positive effect on the MS extract and reduced Ag on the cotton. Furthermore, the reduction of bacterial growth of the dyed cotton considerably (up to 99%) improved by AgNPs. The wash-, and light-fastness properties of samples dyed with MS were enhanced from moderate to good-very good by mordanting.
Keywords: Malva sylvestris; antimicrobial; antioxidant; cotton fabric; natural colorant.
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