Imparting antimicrobial activity in synthetic fabrics by high-temperature process

Abstract

The present study introduces a coating approach for realization of antimicrobial textile surfaces that does not rely on nano-scale
metal particles. Instead, bactericidal metal ions are used in place of elemental metal particles and are deposited in alginates that
are adhered to the textile substrate through coating application. Antimicrobial finishing of polyester fabrics is challenging due to
the limited permanence resulting from the hydrophobic nature of polyester fibers. A high-temperature (HT) derived process is
now presented as a promising opportunity for introducing functions on polyester fabrics. For instance, an approach of
antimicrobial finishing is presented; the applied antimicrobial agent consisted of a modified carbohydrate which cannot be
bonded to the textile surface in a HT process. Therefore, different silane linker molecules were utilized, either comprising an
alkyl or vinyl functional group. In terms of antimicrobial testing, the viability assay was carried out against the following
pathogens, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Promising antibacterial results were witnessed and are likely to pave the
way for future coating applications on textiles and other polymers substrates.