Mimicking the morphology of cicada wing on cotton decorated by fully bio-based blueish chitosan microspheres through covalent bonding for antimicrobial and UV protective functions

Feiyang Zheng , Chunguang Liang , Yuyang Zhou *

National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center of Textile Dyeing and Printing for Energy Conservation, Discharge Reduction and Cleaner Production, National Textile and Apparel Council Key Laboratory of Natural Dyes, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Silk Engineering, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 China

Building up bio-mimic structure on substrate for antibacterial function has gained significant attraction for minimal resistance, reduced toxicity, and enhanced safety. In this study, antibacterial and coloristic microstructure is created on cotton using fully bio-based blueish chitosan microsphere (CTSMS) fabricated by chitosan (CTS) and genipin (GNP). The findings indicate that the particle size of CTSMS is significantly influenced by the viscosity of the CTS solution and the reactivity of GNP. When GNP concentration is high, the formation of CTSMS closes to completion, resulting in a reduction in both particle size and variability. The optimal CTSMS has a median particle size of 1.24 μm. Mechanism studies confirm the cross-linking between CTS and GNP, the creation of CTSMS, the amination of cotton, and the integration of CTSMS onto cotton fibers. The CTSMS treated cotton exhibits over 98 % and 95 % antibacterial efficacy against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. Overall, this approach broadens the application of bio-based functional microstructures in textiles, advancing the field of surface replication technology.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.160325