Enhancing the Antibacterial Efficiency of Wool-Based Fabrics Through Dyeing with Indigofera Tinctoria L.

Developing durable, eco-friendly, and functional colouration for wool textiles using natural dyes has gained significant attention because of the growing demand for sustainable, high-performance smart textiles. However, natural dyes such as Indigofera tinctoria L. often suffer from insufficient colour fastness and lack inherent functional properties when applied without effective fixation agents. To address this challenge, this study investigates active mono- and binary metal-ion combinations (\(\mathrm{Cu}^{2+}\), \(\mathrm{Fe}^{3+}\), \(\mathrm{Al}^{3+}\), \(\mathrm{Zn}^{2+}\), and \(\mathrm{Sn}^{2+}\)) as mordants to improve the colour fastness, intensity, and antibacterial performance of wool fabrics dyed with natural indigo. The wool fabrics were pretreated with individual or combined metal-ion solutions (\(\mathrm{Cu}^{2+}/\mathrm{Fe}^{3+}\), \(\mathrm{Al}^{3+}/\mathrm{Cu}^{2+}\), \(\mathrm{Al}^{3+}/\mathrm{Fe}^{3+}\), \(\mathrm{Cu}^{2+}/\mathrm{Zn}^{2+}\), \(\mathrm{Zn}^{2+}/\mathrm{Al}^{3+}\), and \(\mathrm{Al}^{3+}/\mathrm{Sn}^{2+}\)) at low concentrations (0.3–1.0 g/L). The treated fabrics were then dyed with Indigofera tinctoria L. under controlled conditions (pH 10.5 and 90 °C), followed by dyeing at 50 °C for 20 min and neutral soaping at 40 °C. The results reveal that \(\mathrm{Cu}^{2+}\)-containing combinations significantly increase colour saturation while imparting strong antibacterial activity. Furthermore, \(\mathrm{Zn}^{2+}\) ions enhanced the fabric’s hygienic properties. The optimised treatment achieved high antibacterial efficiency, showing up to 90% reduction against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and 85% against Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739). These findings offer a practical approach to functionalizing wool textiles with natural dyes and metal ions for modern sportswear, protective workwear, and smart apparel.

Hali tarjima qilinmagan