Abstract
In this study cotton fabrics were finished with Aloe vera gel along with 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxlic acid (BTCA) as crosslinking agent using pad-dry-cure method. The Finished fabrics were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The Infrared spectra confirmed that the active ingredients of Aloe vera gel attached with the hydroxyl groups of cotton fabric via carboxylic acid cross-linking agent. The antibacterial activity of Aloe vera finished fabrics were qualitatively evaluated by AATCC-147 method and scanning electron microscope (SEM) technique. It was observed that Aloe vera gel finished fabric has much less bacterial adhesion. The Aloe vera gel finished (concentration ≥3 % (w/v)) cotton fabric inhibited the growth of both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. The mechanism of cell death by Aloe vera gel was evaluated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM photographs suggested that the cell death is due to the destruction of bacterial cell wall. The finished fabric was also evaluated for its performance properties such as tensile strength, crease recovery angle, bending length, etc.