Plastic disposal is a worldwide issue due to its long degradation time. Environmentally degradable polymers (EDPs) have received considerable attention because of their faster degradation. However, the use of EDPs is limited by high cost and restricted properties. The incorporation of organic fillers is an alternative to reduce cost while increasing biodegradation. Poly-caprolactone (PCL) is a biodegradable polyester compatible with organic fillers. Coffee husk (CH) is a sub-product of coffee processing with potential use as organic filler. We prepared a novel PCL-CH composite film and investigated the effects of CH incorporation on the biodegradation of PCL. Biodegradation study was carried out in soil for 120 days, and evaluated by weight loss measurements. Additionally, soil microbiological and granulometric analyses were performed. Bacteria and fungi were found in the soil that was classified as sandy. The composite film degraded twice faster than PCL film probably due to the adhesion of microorganisms on the coffee husk.

This study evaluated the antimicrobial activity of PET-Silver nanocomposite filaments at different concentrations (0, 0.180%, 0.135%, 0.090%, 0.045% and 0.022% w/w) of silver nanoparticles in order to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of silver incorporated in the PET matrix. The in vitro antibacterial activity was evaluated by the AATCC standard 100: 2012 method, against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, and Klebsiella pneumonia ATCC 4532. The filaments were tested after one and twenty-one months of preparation to evaluate the effect of time on the antimicrobial activity of the nanocomposites. Moreover, the antimicrobial activity was also evaluated after dyeing the filaments. The silver-free PET filaments have not demonstrated antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity against human dermal fibroblasts. Nevertheless, excepted for the filament with 0.022% of silver nanoparticles, all PET-Silver nanocomposites reduced more than 99% the colony-forming units (CFU) of Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumonia after one and twenty-one months of preparation. This suggests that the MIC of silver nanoparticles incorporated in the PET matrix is lower than 220 ppm (w/w) and the MBC is between 0.022 and 0.045% (w/w). However, after the dyeing process, no antimicrobial activity was observed for any PET-Silver nanocomposite filaments. This may be attributed to the release of silver from the PET matrix during the dyeing process or to the reaction/inactivation of the silver ions by the salts used in this chemical treatment.

Nanoparticles play a fundamental role on nanocomposite properties, as they significantly increase the contact area and allow a homogeneous distribution in comparison to microparticles. Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) have been extensively used in biomedical and engineering applications due to their interesting properties, such as antibacterial activity. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a semi-crystalline polymer and has excellent chemical resistance and thermal stability. Because of its remarkable properties, PET has been used in several industrial applications, such as packaging, electrical, automotive, construction and textile. The aim of this study was to prepare potential antimicrobial PET-AgNP nanocomposite filaments for textile applications. Therefore, AgNP were incorporated in the PET matrix at different concentrations (0.05; 0.10; 0.15; 0.20; 0.25; 0.30; 0.35 and 0.40%) by extruding the PET resin with specific amounts of a 10% (w/w) AgNP/PET master batch. Then, rheological characterization was carried out and filaments were produced for mechanical, optical and thermal analyses. The incorporation of up to 0.20% (w/w) of AgNP in the polymeric matrix has not significantly altered overall properties of PET nanocomposites. Moreover, the nanocomposite incorporated with 0.05% of AgNP demonstrated suitable intrinsic viscosity for fiber processing and PET-like mechanical, thermal and optical properties.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber is a very versatile fiber that can be produced with different properties, such as antimicrobial activity. This study aims to synthesize antimicrobial PET filaments incorporated with silver nanoparticles immobilized in silica (NPAg-Si) by bulk additive method. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) characterized the obtained filaments at concentrations (w/w) of 0.008%, 0.016%, 0.032%, 0.047% and 0.063% NPAg-Si, in order to identify the nanoparticles and analyze their dispersion in the polymeric matrix. Moreover, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carry out to confirm the presence and concentration of the silver nanoparticles in the filaments as well as the thermal stability of the nanocomposites. The bulk addition method was efficient to produce PET-Silver filaments with silver nanoparticles homogeneously dispersed in the PET matrix.