N-halamine-bonded cotton fabric with antimicrobial and easy-care properties

N-halamine precursor 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl piperidinol (TMP), a hindered amine light stabilizer, was bonded onto cotton fabric by using 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) as a crosslinking agent. A variety of treating conditions including TMP concentration, curing temperature and time, and catalyst were studied. The treated fabrics were characterized using FTIR spectra and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The cotton fabric treated with TMP precursor could be rendered biocidal upon exposure to dilute household bleach. The chlorinated cotton swatches showed great efficacy and inactivated 100 % of Staphylococcus aureus with 7.1 log reduction with 5 min of contact and 83.25 % of E. coli O157:H7 at 10 min of contact. In addition, the wrinkle recovery angle of the treated cotton fabrics increased from 229 ° of untreated cotton fabrics to 253 °. This study provided a practical finishing process to produce cotton fabrics with easy care and antibacterial functionalities at the same time.