Facile In Situ Synthesis of ZnO Flower-like Hierarchical Nanostructures by the Microwave Irradiation Method for Multifunctional Textile Coatings

ZnO nanoparticle-based multifunctional coatings were prepared by a simple, time-saving microwave method. Arginine and ammonia were used as precipitation agents, and zinc acetate dehydrate was used as a zinc precursor. Under the optimized conditions, flower-like morphologies of ZnO aggregates were obtained. The prepared nanopowders were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV/Visible spectroscopy. The developed in situ synthesis with microwave irradiation enabled significant ZnO nanoparticle deposition on cotton fabrics, without additional steps. The functionalized textiles were tested as a photocatalyst in methylene blue (MB) photodegradation and showed good self-cleaning and UV-blocking properties. The coated cotton fabrics exhibited good antibacterial properties against common microbial trains (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans), together with self-cleaning and photocatalytic efficiency in organic dye degradation. The proposed microwave-assisted in situ synthesis of ZnO nanocoatings on textiles shows high potential as a rapid, efficient, environmentally friendly, and scalable method to fabricate functional fabrics.