Preparation and characterization of reactive chitosan quaternary ammonium salt and its application in antibacterial finishing of cotton fabric

The water soluble and reactive O-methyl acrylamide quaternary ammonium salt of chitosan (NMA-HTCC) was prepared with a view to develop an antibacterial finishing on cotton fabric. 2-hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan (HTCC) was synthesized by the chemical reaction of chitosan and 2,3-epoxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride. Then, NMA-HTCC with reactive groups was synthesized by the chemical reaction of HTCC and N-(hydroxymethyl) –acrylamide, and its chemical structure was characterized by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The antibacterial activities of chitosan and NMA-HTCC were tested and compared by the minimal inhibitory method. Cotton fabrics were finished by NMA-HTCC under the alkalinity condition using sodium bicarbonate as the catalyst. The antibacterial activity of cotton fabric before and after finishing was measured by the oscillation flask method. The results showed that both chitosan and NMA-HTCC had a significant antibacterial effect on staphylococcus and coli, and the antibacterial activity of NMA-HTCC was better than that of chitosan. The antibacterial activity of cotton fabric to staphylococcus and coli were significantly improved after finishing by chitosan and NMA-HTCC, and the antibacterial activity of the cotton fabric finished by NMA-HTCC was better than that finished by chitosan.