Enhancing Functionalization of Health Care Textiles with Gold Nanoparticle-Loaded Hydroxyapatite Composites

Hospitals and nursing home wards are areas prone to the propagation of infections and are of particular concern regarding the spreading of dangerous viruses and multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB). MDRB infections comprise approximately 20% of cases in hospitals and nursing homes. Healthcare textiles, such as blankets, are ubiquitous in hospitals and nursing home wards and may be easily shared between patients/users without an adequate pre-cleaning process. Therefore, functionalizing these textiles with antimicrobial properties may considerably reduce the microbial load and prevent the propagation of infections, including MDRB. Blankets are mainly comprised of knitted cotton (CO), polyester (PES), and cotton-polyester (CO–PES). These fabrics were functionalized with novel gold-hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (AuNPs-HAp) that possess antimicrobial properties, due to the presence of the AuNPs’ amine and carboxyl groups, and low propensity to display toxicity. For optimal functionalization of the knitted fabrics, two pre-treatments, four different surfactants, and two incorporation processes were evaluated. Furthermore, exhaustion parameters (time and temperature) were subjected to a design of experiments (DoE) optimization. The concentration of AuNPs-HAp in the fabrics and their washing fastness were critical factors assessed through color difference (ΔE). The best performing knitted fabric was half bleached CO, functionalized using a surfactant combination of Imerol(®) Jet-B (surfactant A) and Luprintol(®) Emulsifier PE New (surfactant D) through exhaustion at 70 °C for 10 min. This knitted CO displayed antibacterial properties even after 20 washing cycles, showing its potential to be used in comfort textiles within healthcare environments.