Biodegradability and Antifungal Property of Nanosilver-Imbibed Cotton Fabric

Authors: Nam, Sunghyun; Tewolde, Haile; He, Zhongqi; Rajasekaran, Kanniah - Rajah; Cary, Jeffrey; Thyssen, Gregory; Sickler, Christine

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/17/2023
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The functionalization of cotton materials with metallic nanoparticles can offer new applications. The aim of this study was to investigate the biodegradability and antifungal property of cotton fabrics imbibed with nanosilver for potential antifungal planting or seedling applications. The natural synthesis of nanosilver by unscoured and unbleached cotton fabrics resulted in the formation of nanosilver with an average size of approximately 23 nm. The resulting nanosilver-imbibed cotton fabrics were buried in Leeper silty clay loam soil along with the untreated control cotton fabrics for 16 weeks. The untreated control cotton fabric lost approximately 32% of its weight, while there was no weight loss observed for the nanosilver-imbibed cotton fabric. This significant resistance to biodegradation in the treated cotton was attributed to the antifungal properties of nanosilver, as confirmed by the antifungal test, which showed 56 times lower fungal growth in the nanosilver-imbibed cotton fabric compared to the untreated control cotton fabric.

Technical Abstract: Studies were conducted to examine the biodegradability and antifungal property of cotton fabric imbibed with nanosilver as a potential means to control fungal infection during seed germination. Nanosilver particles with a diameter of approximately 23 nm, were synthesized in situ in unscoured and unbleached cotton fabrics without using any external agents. A simple one-step heat treatment allowed the unscoured and unbleached cotton to naturally generate nanosilver. The nanosilver-imbibed and untreated control cotton fabrics were buried in Leeper silty clay loam soil at a depth of about 11 cm. After a 16-week burial period, the untreated control cotton fabric experienced approximately 32% weight loss, whereas the nanosilver-imbibed cotton fabric showed no weight loss. The observed distinctive resistance to biodegradation for the treated cotton fabric was attributed to the antifungal properties of nanosilver. The antifungal property of the fabric was evaluated using a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing Aspergillus flavus, and the results demonstrated that fungal growth and colonization was 56 times lower in the nanosilver-imbibed cotton fabric compared to the untreated control cotton fabric.