Antimicrobial Agents for Textiles: Types, Mechanisms and Analysis Standards

Abstract

The large surface area, and ability to retain moisture of textile structures enable microorganisms’ growth, which causes a range of undesirable effects, not only on the textile itself, but also on the user. Moreover, textiles used in health care environments are required to possess antimicrobial property to minimize spread of pathogenic infection. Anti-microbial property can be imparted via chemical finishing with an antimicrobial agent. Currently the use of antimicrobial agents includes metal compounds (notably copper and silver particle), chitosan, halogenated phenols “triclosan”, quaternary ammonium compounds, antibiotics (a class of antimicrobials produced from microorganisms that act against one another), and N-halamines. The possibility of bacterial resistance limits antibiotic use to specific medical applications, and triclosan is known for being dangerous to the environment and is currently under scrutiny for possible endocrine disrupting to human being. Although quaternary ammonium compounds are stable and easily manufactured, microbial resistance is also a concern. Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), Polyhexamethylene Biguanide (PHMB), chitosan and N-halamines are listed under bound or non-leaching type antimicrobials. The bulk of current chapter focuses on the different family of antimicrobial agents used for textiles and their mechanisms.

Anti-Mold Protection of Textile Surfaces with Cold Plasma Produced Biocidal Nanocoatings

“…Considering the identified species of microorganisms and based on literature reports [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 12 , 37 , 38 ], appropriate chemical compounds with expected antifungal activity were selected. For plasma-activated grafting or plasma polymerization processes, these compounds, apart from the moiety in their structure responsible for potential antifungal properties (amine and phenol derivatives), had to have functional groups that readily participate in addition polymerization reactions (ethenyl or ethynyl groups).…”

“…The selection of appropriate biocides to obtain antimicrobial properties on a given surface is related to the mechanism of their interaction with microorganisms. From this point of view, biocides can be divided into four broad categories: ( 1 ) oxidants, which include agents containing, for example, chlorine or peroxides, which act directly through radical reactions with the organic material of the microbial cell; ( 2 ) electrophilic biocides, which include both inorganic agents containing metal ions, for example, silver or copper, and organic electrophiles, for example, formaldehyde, which inactivate enzymes and generate intracellular free radicals; ( 3 ) biocides that destabilize the cell membrane, such as amines, phenols, and alcohols, leading to rapid cell lysis; and finally, ( 4 ) protonophores, e.g., weak acids, which cause the proton motive force disturbance and as a result widespread disruption of metabolism in the cell interior [ 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”

“…On the other hand, from the point of view of biocide bonding on a textile surface, we can distinguish its permanent attachment (non-leaching type)—in this case, the microbe cell must approach the surface and come into direct contact with such a molecule—as well as the controlled release of the biocide to the surroundings (leaching type), which disrupts the microorganism in the vicinity of the textile surface, but may be less advantageous due to the systematic reduction of the antimicrobial surface activity and not always favorable environmental impact [ 9 , 11 ].…”

Chitosan: A biopolymer for textile processes and products

“…and the environmental conditions (test strain, bacterial culture medium, pH, temperature, ionic strength, metal ions, etc.). 264 Underestimation of any of these factors would inevitably lead to false conclusions regarding the potency of the CS preparation under test. Moreover, relations between CS properties and its biological performance remain to be investigated and fully understood.…”

Use of Chitosan as Antimicrobial, Antiviral and Antipollution Agent in Textile Finishing

“…The most studied natural polymer for antimicrobial finishing of textiles is chitosan. ChSN is a widespectrum biocide with high antimicrobial efficacy against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as fungi and yeasts [67]. Chitosan inhibits the growth of a wide variety of bacteria and fungi, showing broad high bacteria killing rate and low toxicity toward mammalian cells [68].…”