Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) atmospheric O2 plasma combined with CuONPs is applied to silk fabric at a discharge power of 17.35 watt for 15 min exposure time and using various concentrations of CuONPs (0.5 –1.5 g/100 fibre). Treatment of silk with combined O2 plasma/ sonicated copper sulfate solution was also tried.

The effect of O2 plasma/ CuONPs treatment on the morphology of silk surface fabric, mechanical properties, wettability, UV protection factor, anti-bacterial activities as well as its dyeability is investigated. Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis are also measured to determine the induced changes in silk fabric morphology and structure. These treatments result in high UV protection factor and excellent antimicrobial activity for both G (+v) and G (-v) as well as fungi strains with keeping the silk mechanical properties, expressed as tensile strength, in a good quality. The dyeability with some natural dyes such as coffee, deer blood and red cabbage extracts was enhanced and the fastness properties were improved.