Biogenic Silver-Doped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Multifunctional Eco-Designed Textile Printing

The current study concerns the valorization of waste rice hulls into value-added materials. To achieve this goal, first, the extraction route of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (SiO 2 NPs) from rice hulls using citric acid as a carbon template was compared with that prepared by conventional methods of incineration only. Both routes were performed at different temperatures of 600 and 700°C, and the fabricated SiO 2 NPs were studied by N 2 physisorption isotherm, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and thermogravimetric (TG) analyses. The results show the influence of both routes and temperature on the porous structure, surface area, and charge of as-fabricated SiO 2 NPs. Furthermore, the physico-chemical features of as-prepared mesoporous SiO 2 NPs were utilized, in a facile and green way, to prepare silver NPs with high anti-microbial activity. The results were validated by the tools of UV-visible, FTIR, XRD, and XPS spectroscopy. Finally, the fabricated silver-doped mesoporous SiO 2 NPs were used as auxiliary additives through one-pot printing of different types of fabric (i.e., polyester (synthetic fabric), cotton (natural fabric), and cotton/polyester (blended fabric)). The EDX mapping of the pigment-printed fabrics with Ag-doped SiO 2 NPs exhibited the homogeneous distribution of Ag and Si atoms together with C and O throughout the fabric matrix. Interestingly, the pigment-printed fabrics with Ag-doped SiO 2 NPs demonstrated superior antibacterial activity, ultraviolet protection factor (UPF), and color characteristics in comparison to the conventional dyeing component. Graphical Abstract