A new method to stabilize nanoparticles on textile surfaces

This paper presents a novel idea to achieve permanent antibacterial activity with no negative effect on other properties such as comfort and strength. To this end, PET fabric samples were treated with crosslinkable polysiloxane via different methods, simultaneous or after treatment with various concentrations of nanosized colloidal silver. Furthermore, this research has investigated and compared the effect of presence or absence of the spin finish on fabric surfaces in the same treatment condition to indicate the possibility of applying this method without spin finish elimination. Finally, the antibacterial efficiency of modified fabrics was quantitatively evaluated and compared against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus according to AATCC 100. Very good biostatic efficacy against S. aureus appeared even by applying a low nanosilver content. However, a higher nanosilver content was necessary to attain such antibacterial effects against K. pneumoniae. Crosslinked polysiloxane resulted in a remarkable control in the release of silver from the coating and can improve the long-term microbiological activity, especially against home laundering. Increasing nanosilver mass fraction resulted in bioactivity enhancement against both kinds of tested bacteria. Simultaneous application of nanosized silver solution and polysiloxane emulsion on the fabric surfaces showed improved antibacterial efficiency as compared to separate application. The presence of spin finish declined bioactivity because of providing an enrichment culture for fast thriving of microorganisms. The polysiloxane treatment has compensated for this difference to some extent. The experiment results revealed that polysiloxane also compensated for some adverse effects of nanosilver treatment such as decreasing conductivity and softness. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.