Kevlar<sup>®</sup>, Nomex<sup>®</sup>, and VAR Modification by Small Organic Molecules Anchoring: Transfusing Antibacterial Properties and Improving Water Repellency
Efrosyni Frousiou,
Efstathios Tonis,
Georgios Rotas,
Anna Pantelia,
Savvas G. Chalkidis,
Nikolaos S. Heliopoulos,
Antonia Kagkoura,
Dionysios Siamidis,
Angeliki Galeou,
Anastasia Prombona,
Kostas Stamatakis,
Nikos Boukos,
Georgios C. Vougioukalakis
Affiliations
Efrosyni Frousiou
Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Athens, Greece
Efstathios Tonis
Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Athens, Greece
Georgios Rotas
Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Athens, Greece
Anna Pantelia
Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Athens, Greece
Savvas G. Chalkidis
Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Athens, Greece
Nikolaos S. Heliopoulos
700 Military Factory, Supreme Military Support Command, 50 Anapafseos, 18648 Piraeus, Greece
Antonia Kagkoura
Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece
Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Patriarchou Grigoriou E’ & Neapoleos Str., 15341 Agia Paraskevi Attica, Greece
Anastasia Prombona
Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Patriarchou Grigoriou E’ & Neapoleos Str., 15341 Agia Paraskevi Attica, Greece
Kostas Stamatakis
Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Patriarchou Grigoriou E’ & Neapoleos Str., 15341 Agia Paraskevi Attica, Greece
Nikos Boukos
Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Patriarchou Grigoriou E’ & Neapoleos Str., 15341 Agia Paraskevi Attica, Greece
Georgios C. Vougioukalakis
Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Athens, Greece
The surface modification of fabrics composed of Kevlar®, Nomex®, or VAR was extensively investigated. Kevlar® and Nomex® are widely-utilized aramid materials, whereas VAR is a technical fabric comprising 64% viscose, 24% para-aramid (Kevlar®), 10% polyamide, and 2% antistatic fibers. Both aramid materials and cellulose/viscose exhibit exceptional mechanical properties that render them valuable in a wide range of applications. For the herein studied modification of Kevlar®, Nomex®, and VAR, we used small organic molecules 3-allyl-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (ADMH) and 3-(acrylamidopropyl)trimethylammonium chloride (APTAC), which were anchored onto the materials under study via graft polymerization. By doing so, excellent antibacterial properties were induced in the three studied fabrics. Their water repellency was improved in most cases as well. Extensive characterization studies were conducted to probe the properties of the modified materials, employing Raman and FTIR spectroscopies, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).
