Preparation and characterization of polypropylene/silver nanocomposite fibers

Bicomponent sheath-core fibers were prepared by a general melt-spinning method with polypropylene chips and silver nanoparticles. The melt-spun fibers were characterized by DSC, WAXS and SEM. The antibacterial effect was evaluated by an AATCC 100 test, a quantitative method. The results of the DSC thermogram and the intensity pattern of X-ray diffraction indicated that the crystallinity of polypropylene including silver nanoparticles was slightly decreased compared with that of pure polypropylene fibers. SEM micrographs showed that the average diameter of the silver nanoparticles was approximately 30 nm and some particles had aggregated. The fibers, which contained silver in the core part, did not show antibacterial effects. Fibers with added silver in the sheath part, however, exhibited excellent antibacterial effects. (C) 2003 Society of Chemical Industry.