Multifarious cellulosic through innovation of highly sustainable composites based on Moringa and other natural precursors Ahmed G. Hassabo ⁎, Sahar Shaarawy, Amina L. Mohamed, Ali Hebiesh National Research Centre (Scopus affiliation ID 60014618), Textile Industries Research Division, Pre-treatment and Finishing of Cellulose based Textiles Department, 33-El-Behouth st., (former El- Tahrir str.), Dokki, P.O. 12622, Giza, Egypt abstract article info Article history: Received 9 July 2020 Received in revised form 18 August 2020 Accepted 17 September 2020 Available online 26 September 2020 Keywords: Multifarious cotton Moringa leaves extract Nano “Clay, Silver” Sustainable composites Innovative composites processed using sorted out and characterized precursors from nature were formulated, synthesized then applied to cotton cellulose in the fabric form to confer on the cellulose multifunctional perfor- mance properties. Precursors embrace Moringa oleifera leaves aqueous and alcoholic extracts, chitosan, clay known as Kaolin and, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The latter were prepared under the reducing and stabilization actions of Moringa extracts. These Precursors are mixed to form binary or tertiary mixture formulations under variable formation conditions of the required composites. The composites and fabrics treated thereof were sub- mitted to characterization, analysis and testing using traditional tools as well as state-of-the-art facilities includ- ing FT-IR, UV, Particle size analyser, TEM, SEM and EDX. Aqueous and alcoholic Moringa extracts exhibit different chemical attributes meanwhile both extracts fail to induce formation of AgNPs at up to pH 6. Intensive formation of AgNPs occurs only with the alcoholic extract provided that pH 8 or higher was employed. The particle size of AgNPs decreases by increasing the pH indicating chemical combination of Moringa extract and chitosan Moringa aqueous or alcoholic extract exhibit larger particle size than those containing chitosan and AgNPs. AgNPs were characterized by spherical shape with precise distribution of the particles. The nitrogen content, the physical properties and the mechanical properties of the treated fabrics were taken to demonstrate the magnitudes of in- tercalation and interactions of Moringa aqueous and alcoholic extracts individually and in composite with the cellulosic fabric. It was as well to emphasize the high antimicrobial activity imparted by current composites to the cellulosic fabrics. Equal emphasis was placed on UPF and easy-care properties of the treated fabrics. To this end, current research brings into focus novel cellulosic products with multifunctional performance as a direct im- pact of multifarious attributes caused by chemical combination of the composite in question and cellulosic fabrics. © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Chitosan stands as the second most abundant biopolymer in nature. It was a cationic polysaccharide derived from chitin. By virtue of its unique characteristics and happy combination of properties such as being biodegradable, biocompatible, antioxidant and antimicrobial. Chi- tosan was regarded a highly valuable and promising resource for use in a variety of applications, for example: food, cosmetics, biomedicine, ag- ricultural and chemical industries [1,2]. Montmorillonite (MMT) was a natural clay consisting of silicon tet- rahedral plates between aluminium octahedral plates and it was one of the smectite groups. The strong negative charge due to the crystal grid imperfection and the isomorphic substitution leads to the adsorp- tion in the interlayer space of the alkaline earth metal ions. The occur- rence of reactions and interactions with organic compounds were responsible for such an imperfection. MMT has a wide specific surface area and demonstrates strong potential for adsorption, for cation ex- change, for adhesive stand-out and for the transport of drugs. As a re- sult, MMT was a common ingredient in pharmaceutical products as well as the active substance [3]. The intercalation of organic species into layered inorganic solids offers a useful and easy way to prepare organic-inorganic hybrids in a single material that bear the properties of both the inorganic host and the organic guest [4]. During the last few years, green precursors for synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) [5–9] and their application to cotton textiles in presence of binder to guarantee permanent antimicrobial properties have been developed. Water soluble cellulose derivatives (e.g. CMC) or starch derivatives (e.g. hydroxypropyl starch) were used to perform dual function: (a) reducing agent to convert Ag + to Ag and, (b) stabilizing agent to prevent aggregation of silver nanoparticles [10]. Reported also was the synthesis of AgNPs by fungal process [11], the impact of frontier science on textile industry [12], multi- functionalization of cotton [13–20], and novel precursors for green International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 165 (2020) 141–155 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: aga.hassabo@hotmail.com (A.G. Hassabo). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.09.125 0141-8130/© 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 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