Synthesis of durable gold nanoparticle-embedded cotton fibers for advanced biocompatible textile applications

Authors: HASSAN, FAQRUL - Oak Ridge National Laboratory; KASHEM, MD NAYEEM HASAN - Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Jordan, Jacobs; Easson, Michael; Nam, Sunghyun; Hillyer, Matthew

Submitted to: ACS Nano
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/12/2026
Publication Date: 2/24/2026
Citation: Hassan, F., Kashem, M., Jordan, J.H., Easson, M.W., Nam, S., Hillyer, M.B. 2026. Synthesis of durable gold nanoparticle-embedded cotton fibers for advanced biocompatible textile applications. ACS Nano. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.6c00246.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.6c00246

Interpretive Summary: This study demonstrates a rapid in situ synthesis and robust encapsulation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) inside cotton fibers without using any external chemical agents under alkaline conditions. During the in situ formation of AuNPs by cotton under alkaline conditions, the color of the cotton fabric changed from light yellow to dark purple after 1 h. The developed fabric clearly exhibits strong durability, catalytic activity, and biocompatibility underscoring its suitability and promising potential for advanced biomedical textiles applications. Here, we report that AuNPs with well-defined spherical geometry and pristine surface show no cytotoxicity towards mammalian cells. These internally immobilized AuNPs are thermally stable under warm laundering temperature for prolonged laundering cycles supporting our claim of superior laundering durability of AuNP-embedded cotton fibers. Even after multiple cycles of reactions our developed AuNP-cotton showed excellent catalytic activity, confirming their ease of accessibility and preserved functional properties. To our best knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the internal formation of AuNPs within cotton fibers under alkaline conditions. This efficient approach for the rapid and controlled synthesis of AuNPs, making it a promising method for scalable production and broader applications including self-cleaning, sensing, drug delivery, and other biomedical uses.

Technical Abstract: This study describes the development of a facile, rapid, reductant- and stabilizer-free alkali-mediated synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) within cotton fibers for biocompatible textiles. AuNPs are synthesized in situ within the interior of the cotton fiber using a green synthesis method using an Au(III) (Au3+) precursor (tetrachloroauric acid, HAuCl4) without adding any reducing or capping agents. A mechanism of AuNP formation using cotton cellulose has been studied to understand the formation of Au3+-cellulose complexes and their subsequent reduction to zero-valent atoms. AuNP-infused cotton fibers (AuNP-cotton) were analyzed using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy and the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak at around 538 nm confirms the reduction of the Au3+ precursor and the formation of metallic gold (Au0) NPs. The obtained AuNPs are mostly spherical with an average diameter of 12.25 nm. Au content in treated cotton was determined to be 1.66 wt% using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS). High-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of the cross-section of the cotton fibers clearly showed the formation of AuNPs within the cotton fiber, which are evenly distributed without agglomeration. The AuNPs incorporated into cotton fabric demonstrated superior laundering durability under intense mechanical force, retaining 82% of AuNPs after 50 home laundering cycles. Rapid and efficient catalytic activity of AuNP-cotton demonstrates easy accessibility of AuNPs surface for chemical interactions across multiple cycles. Notably, non-toxicity toward mammalian cells suggests that AuNP-cotton has strong potential to support human cell growth and suitability for biocompatible applications.