Enhancing antifungal properties of textiles through hydrogel composite layers incorporating copper nanoparticles

Fungal contamination on textile surfaces can contribute to disease transmission in agricultural and biomedical environments. Although copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) exhibit broad antimicrobial activity, CuNP-coated hydrophobic fabrics may show limited antifungal performance because ion-mediated activity is restricted under dry surface conditions. In this study, we report a hydrogel-assisted strategy to enhance the antifungal function of CuNP-coated polypropylene (PP) fabrics by creating a moisture-retaining interface around the nanoparticles. CuNPs with controlled particle sizes were synthesized by an ascorbic-acid-based reduction method and deposited onto PP nonwoven fabrics through a surface activation process. A thin hydrogel layer was then formed on the CuNP-coated fabric to provide a hydrated environment and continuous diffusion pathway. Compared with PP–CuNP fabrics without hydrogel, hydrogel-coated PP–CuNP fabrics exhibited markedly improved antifungal activity against Botryotinia fuckeliana and Cladosporium cladosporioides, while maintaining antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli. These results demonstrate that the local moisture environment is a critical factor governing the antifungal performance of CuNP-coated textiles. This work provides a structure–environment–function strategy for designing antifungal textile surfaces for agricultural and biomedical applications.