Cotton textile with citronella nanoparticles: antimicrobial properties and surface functionalization strategies

Abstract The development of functional textiles offers wide-ranging applications, with nanoencapsulation of essential oils emerging as a promising strategy for antimicrobial purposes. This study focused on biodegradable nanoparticles loaded with citronella essential oil (CEO), deposited on cotton textiles using three methods, with or without non-thermal plasma (NTP) treatment. The immersion method achieved the highest CEO content per textile area (5.9 µL cm -2). XPS and FT-IR analyses revealed that NTP treatment enhanced the hydrophilic functional groups through oxidation, as confirmed by contact angle assays and textile mass loss. Despite these changes, NTP treatment did not significantly alter the in vitro release profile of the CEO. Non-treated NTP samples were tested against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, showing a stronger antibacterial effect against gram-positive S. aureus. These findings highlight the potential of these materials for use as functional antibacterial textiles with promising applications in health and hygiene products.