Imparting antimicrobial activity in synthetic fabrics by high-temperature process

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