Development of multifunctional linen fabric using chitosan film as a template for immobilization of in-situ generated CeO2 nanoparticles.

Linen fabric lacks functional properties which can be imparted using CeO2 nanoparticles; however, the efficiency and durability against the repeated washing is always a big limitation. Wash-durable functionalization thus can be achieved by surface modification using chitosan-based recipes which can also impart additional functional properties to linen. In the present work, the modification of linen fabric was achieved using a chitosan-based recipe followed by in-situ synthesis of CeO2 nanoparticles on chitosan-treated fabrics. The modified fabric was characterized using FTIR, TGA, SEM and EDX techniques and further evaluated towards functional properties. The modified linen displayed highly effective antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli bacteria. The additional functional properties like wrinkle resistance, UV protection and flame retardancy were also achieved using such dual modification. Most of the functional properties were retained in a satisfactory level after five subsequent washes. The modified linen thus can be claimed as a suitable candidate for functional apparels and technical textiles.