Tekstilec (Aug 2017)
Influence of the Nanotechnological Process of Chemical Modification on the Antimicrobial Activity and Biodegradability of Textile Fibres
Abstract
The aim of this research was to study the possibility of introducing a three-stage procedure for chemical modifi cation of textile fi bres to achieve antimicrobial properties as well as to determine the infl uence of the procedure on chemical, morphological and functional properties of fi bres and their degree of biodegradation.The procedure was applied to 100% cotton (CO) and 100% polyester (PES) fabrics and a CO/PES fabric blend with a ratio of 50%/50%. The procedure of chemical modifi cation included (i) pre-treatment of fi bres with oxygen plasma, (ii) application of organofunctional trialkoxysilane for the creation of a silica matrix, and (iii) in situ synthesis of silver chloride. For comparison, a silica matrix with incorporated silver nanoparticles was also created on the samples without plasma treatment. Untreated and chemically modifi ed samples were buried in soil for a defi ned period of time, and biodegradation of the fi bres was conducted. Chemical and morphological changes after chemical modifi cation and biodegradation were determined by microscopic and spectroscopic analyses, thin-layer wicking, and colour measurements. The results show that chemical modifi cation did not cause signifi cant morphological changes to the fi bres. Treatment with oxygen plasma increased the fi bre hydrophilicity, which resulted in an increased concentration of adsorbed silver. The presence of silver on the CO and CO/PES fabrics signifi cantly decreased the degree of biodegradation compared to the untreated samples. Plasma treatment increased the degree of fi bre biodegradation irrespective of the silver concentration present on the fi bres. The low degree of biodegradation of the PES fabric was more due to the high hydrophobicity and crystallinity of the fi bres than to the presence of silver.
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