The paper presents a method of modifying polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers using polyaniline (PANI). The PAN fibers were doped with polyaniline that was obtained in two different ways. The first consisted of doping a spinning solution with polyaniline that was synthesized in an aqueous solution (PAN/PANI blended), and the second involved the synthesis of polyaniline directly in the spinning solution (PAN/PANI in situ). The obtained fibers were characterized by the methods: X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Analysis of the results showed strong interactions between the nitrile groups of polyacrylonitrile and polyaniline in the PAN/PANI in situ fibers. The results of mechanical strength tests indicated that the performance of the PAN/PANI mixture significantly improved the mechanical parameters of polyaniline, although these fibers had a weaker strength than the unmodified PAN fibers. The fibers obtained as a result of the addition of PANI to PAN were dielectric, whereas the PANI-synthesized in situ were characterized by a mass-specific resistance of 5.47 kΩg/cm2.

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A surface modification of polyamide 6 (PA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) textiles was performed using zinc oxide to obtain antibacterial layer. ZnO microrods were synthesized on ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) as a nucleus centers by chemical bath deposition (CBD) process. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that wurzite ZnO microrods were obtained on every sample. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Liquid Absorption Capacity (LAC) analysis indicate that the amount and structure of antibacterial layer is dependent on roughness and wettability of textile surface. The rougher and more hydrophilic is the material, the more ZnO were deposited. All studied textiles show significant bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). A possible mechanism and difference in sensitivity between Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria to ZnO is discussed. Considering that antibacterial activity of ZnO is caused by Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation, an influence of surface to volume ratio and crystalline parameters is also discussed.