Title
Functionalization of cotton fabric with polyaniline emeraldine salt using silane aniline as coupling agent
Authors
JAMES VINCENT D.V. ANG, ALVIN KARLO G. TAPIA, CHRYSLINE MARGUS N. PIÑOL, NACITA B. LANTICAN, MA. LOURDES F. DEL MUNDO, RONNIEL D. MANALO and MARVIN U. HERRERA

Received April 27, 2025
Published Volume 59 Issue 9-10 October-December
Keywords antimicrobial, ToF-SIMS, FTIR, organosilane, polyaniline

Abstract
Silane-aniline coupling agents were employed to attach polyaniline emeraldine salt (PAni-ES) to cotton fabrics. The cellulose fibers of the cotton fabric were functionalized with silane-aniline molecules using a simple soaking technique. Oxidative polymerization was carried out to form polyaniline molecules from the attached aniline groups. The structural characteristics of the PAni-ES functionalized cotton were analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS). FTIR spectra revealed peaks corresponding to the polyaniline structure, suggesting successful attachment. ToF-SIMS showed prominent signals (~10 2 ) for SiC2H5O+ (73.02 u) and Si3C4HN+ (146.91 u). This indicates strong bonding between the silane-aniline molecules and the polyaniline. The functionalized PAni-ES cotton samples exhibited enhanced antimicrobial properties against Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive) and Escherichia coli (gram-negative), demonstrating the effectiveness of the functionalization approach.