ANTIBACTERIAL TREATMENT OF KNITTED FABRICS MADE OF FIBER BLENDS USING TUMBLER-TYPE EQUIPMENT

Abstract

Microbes can be carried by and even multiply on textiles, which can act as reservoirs containing infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi and could be vectors of infection in hospitals or communities. Scientific studies demonstrated two scenarios concerning the interrelationships between microorganisms and textiles: textiles can transmit microorganisms and thus infections, and textiles containing antimicrobial agents prevent the transmission of infections. This study aimed to evaluate the behavior in finishing specific knitted textile structures of different fiber compositions, designed, and produced for obtaining antibacterial knitted garments for people with special needs, using a conventional finishing agent and application method to be ready for application on tumbler-type industrial equipment. Different assortments of fibers, yarn compositions, and knitted fabric geometry were used to produce knitted textile materials. For acquiring an antibacterial effect, a bacteriostatic product based on silver chloride and titanium dioxide was used for the finishing of knitted fabrics, which was applied by exhaustion method, on a tumbler-type laboratory apparatus. Antibacterial activity was assessed by agar diffusion plate test on E. Coli and S. Aureus test strains. Higher inhibition zone values are obtained in the case of knits made of conventional fibrous blends (cotton/acrylic fibers), compared to the variants containing Bamboo, Lenpur, and Coolmax fibers.

Keywords

• antibacterial textiles
• knitted fabrics
• finishing
• functional knitted garments
• tumbler-type equipment