1269 ISSN 1229-9197 (print version) ISSN 1875-0052 (electronic version) Fibers and Polymers 2017, Vol.18, No.7, 1269-1279 Antibacterial, UV Protective and Ammonia Sensing Functionalized Polyester Fabric through in situ Synthesis of Cuprous Oxide Nanoparticles Ali Bashiri Rezaie 1 , Majid Montazer 2 * , and Mahnaz Mahmoudi Rad 3 1 Department of Textile Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran 15875-4413, Iran 2 Department of Textile Engineering, Functional Fibrous Structures & Environmental Enhancement (FFSEE), Amirkabir Nanotechnology Research Institute (ANTRI), Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran 15875-4413, Iran 3 Skin Research Centre, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1989934148, Iran (Received March 16, 2017; Revised May 15, 2017; Accepted May 18, 2017) Abstract: In this research, a facile and cost effective method is presented for in-situ synthesis of cuprous oxide nanoparticles on polyester fabric along with surface modification by using one pot wet chemical method at boil. Copper sulfate (CuSO ), sodium hypophosphite (SHP) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were used as precursor, reducing agent and stabilizer, respectively. Further, monoethanolamine (MEA) was used as pH adjustment and also modifier of polyester surface introduced amide and hydroxyl functional groups on the fabric. The images of FESEM, mapping, patterns of EDX, UV- visible absorbance spectrum, FTIR analysis and X-ray diffraction pattern confirmed the successful processing. The treated samples showed excellent antibacterial properties (100 %) toward both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli pathogen bacteria. Also, the results of cytotoxicity test proved no harmful effects on the human dermal fibroblasts for the treated sample with the lower concentration of the materials having white color with good antibacterial activities. The treated samples also indicated very good UV protection properties as well as improved wettability and mechanical properties. They are also sensitive to ammonia through immediate color change when contacted with ammonia solution. The above mentioned processing method can be used for production of polyester fabric with multifunctional properties for using in the various textile industries. Keywords: Polyester functionalization, Antibacterial activities, Cuprous oxide nanoparticles, Cytotoxicity test, UV protection Introduction Metal oxide nanoparticles have proper physical and chemical properties for potentially application in many fields of industry with considerable attentions in recent years [1]. Cuprous oxide nanoparticles are one of the promising semiconductors with band gap of 1.9 to 2.2 eV comprising suitable catalytic, electric, gas sensing, antibacterial and antifungal properties [1-4]. They have cheaper price than other metal oxide nanoparticles such as titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Considering the increasing of diseases in the world, the biocidal characteristics of cuprous oxide nanoparticles are very important specifically for application in medical fields including bed sheets, medical and protective clothing [5,6]. Cuprous oxide nanoparticles can be synthesized by many methods such as chemical reduction, sonochemical reduction, electro deposition and microwave irradiation [7- 10]. Among the above approaches, chemical reduction is an available, controllable, effective and simple method for in situ synthesis of cuprous oxide nanoparticles on different substrates [1]. The nanoparticles should be typically coated or incorporated in the polymeric supports such as textiles [11,12]. Besides, the textiles treated with nanoparticles can be produced with multifunctional properties such as self-cleaning, UV protection, flame retardant, conducting and antibacterial properties [13- 18]. For instance, Sedighi et al. finished cotton fabric through in situ synthesis of cuprous oxide nanoparticles using copper sulfate, sodium hydroxide and ammonia [1]. They indicated very good antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus as a Gram-positive and Escherichia coli as Gram-negative bacteria [1]. The treated samples also used as a colorimetric sensor for ammonia detection [1]. Moreover, Montazer et al. in situ synthesized cuprous oxide on the cotton fabric with safe antibacterial properties based on MTT test [5]. They found that the high dosage of loaded cuprous oxide nanoparticles on the fabric surface was toxic for human skin cell that was reduced by treating the fabric with lower the amount of used materials [5]. Aminolysis is an approach for introducing amide and hydroxyl functional end groups on the polymeric chains to increase wettability, dye-ability and activity of polyester surface without altering the bulk properties [19-21]. This comprises nucleophilic attacks on the ester bonds of polyester using amine compounds [19]. Ibrahim et al. studied the effects of ethylenediamine on the surface modification of polyester and polyester/wool fabrics on the following treatments such as printing with different dyes as well as on the fastness and UV-protecting properties of the products [21]. They found that ethylenediamine pre-treatment produced new functional groups on the polyester facilitating union printing of blend components with one class of dyes [21]. In this research, a facile method is introduced for producing safe antibacterial functionalized polyester fabric with UV *Corresponding author: tex5mm@aut.ac.ir DOI 10.1007/s12221-017-7263-z