Use of Aluminum or Titanium Compounds to Bind Antibacterial Agents to Cotton Fabric

Solutions of Al 2 (OH) 5 Cl, tetraisopropyl titanate, or a titanium chelate were used to bind organic antibacterial agents to cotton fabric. Fabric was treated with one of the metal compounds and oxytetracycline, tetracycline, or pyrithione (1-hydroxy-2- pyridinethione), in the same bath or separate baths, by conventional pad-cure pro cedures. At least one such process using each antibacterial agent served to give the fabric excellent bacteriostatic activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Some of the fabrics treated with one of the tetracyclines still completely inhibited bacterial growth after twenty launderings. Processes using titanium compounds were less satisfactory than those using Al 2 (OH) 5 Cl because of problems encountered during application to the fabric.