Chitosan–TiO$_2$–curcumin composite coatings: toward nature-inspired, protective and sustainable silk materialsTomšič, Brigita (Avtor) Bekjarova, Ljubica (Avtor) Petrović, Ana (Avtor) Poženel, Nika (Avtor) Primožič, Ivi (Avtor) Žagar, Zala (Avtor) Kert, Mateja (Avtor) Gorjanc, Marija (Avtor) Golja, Barbara (Avtor) Zorc, Matija (Avtor) Jerman, Ivan (Avtor) Pintar, Albin (Avtor) Žagar, Ema (Avtor) Simončič, Barbara (Avtor) chitosan-based compositesbio-based compoundsmultifunctional textileantimicrobialUV protectionself-cleaningThe rational use of carbohydrate polymers as functional matrices for integrating inorganic and organic components remains a key challenge in developing sustainable multifunctional materials. Here, a process-oriented, bio-inspired strategy for fabricating a chitosan-centred multifunctional composite coating is presented. This approach uniquely combines plasma-assisted activation of the silk surface, chitosan immobilisation, and subsequent controlled in situ generation of TiO2 nanoparticles in the presence of curcumin, a naturally derived polyphenolic compound. The resulting chitosan/TiO2/curcumin composite system simultaneously imparts antibacterial, UV-shielding, and photocatalytic self-cleaning functions to the silk. Chitosan provides strong antimicrobial activity, maintaining robust bio-barrier antibacterial protection in the composite system and achieving over 99.5% inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli growth. Curcumin acts as a TiO2 photosensitiser and charge-transfer mediator, suppressing electron-hole recombination and enabling efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity, as confirmed by accelerated Rhodamine B dye degradation and effective coffee stain removal. Complementary UV absorption by TiO2 (UV-B) and curcumin (UV-A) delivers broad-spectrum UV protection with a UV protection factor of 32.1. Overall, this work demonstrates a distinct carbohydrate polymer-driven fabrication paradigm for engineering high-performance textiles with integrated multifunctional protective properties.20262026-04-23 04:25:50Članek v reviji182027sl