Promising Methods of Antibacterial Finishing of Textile Materials

Abstract

A review article, containing information on the options, possibilities, and prospects for the development of antibacterial finishing of textile materials, is presented. A wide range of products designed to impart antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties to textile materials is considered. The main factors determining the appropriate decision on the technological and functional choice of the protective composition are presented, including the nature of the fiber-forming polymer, the tasks that the resulting material is designed to solve, and its application options. Compositions providing the required effect of destruction of the pathogenic flora and their application technologies are described. Special attention is paid to antimicrobial agents based on silver nanoparticles. Nanoparticles of this metal have a detrimental effect on antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria; their effectiveness is higher as compared to a number of well-known antibiotics, for example, penicillin and its analogues. Silver nanoparticles are harmless to the human body. Acting as an inhibitor, they limit the activity of the enzyme responsible for oxygen consumption by single-cell bacteria, viruses, and fungi. In this case, silver ions bind to the outer and inner proteins of the bacterial cell membranes, blocking cellular respiration and reproduction. Various options to apply microencapsulation methods for the implementation of antibacterial finishing are considered, including: phase separation, suspension crosslinking, simple and complex coacervation, spray drying, crystallization from the melt, evaporation of the solvent, co-extrusion, layering, fluidized bed spraying, deposition, emulsion and interphase polymerization, layer-by-layer electrostatic self-assembly etc. All presented technologies are at various development stages—from the laboratory stage to production tests, they all have certain advantages and disadvantages. The accelerated development and implementation of the described methods in production of textile materials is relevant and is related to the existing complex epidemiological situation in the world.

The Research Progress in the Application of Ceramic Nanofibers in Antibacterial Textile Materials

“…When the wire is heated to a certain temperature, evaporative deposition occurs, and the vaporized metal is deposited on the surface of the underlying material to form a coating. Magnetron sputtering method is to use the positive ions generated by the gas discharge point to bombard the target at a high speed under the action of electric field, so that the atoms in the target material escape and deposit to the surface of the plated basic material, thus forming the required film [ 19 ]. The main technical principles of magnetron sputtering are shown in Figure 2 .…”

Giving Improved and New Properties to Fibrous Materials by Surface Modification

“…Innovative encapsulation technologies were proposed by the authors in [106,107]. A high antimicrobial activity of fibrous materials with microcapsules immobilized on their surface was shown in [108][109][110][111]. It was established that the achieved effect was resistant to washing.…”

Nonleaching Antimicrobial Cotton Fabrics Finished with Hyperbranched Polylysine

“…4 Although daily washing can remove microorganisms attached to fabrics to a certain extent, the changes in current washing methods, e.g., low temperature, water economy, and active enzyme detergents, also bring adverse consequences such as residual microorganisms. 3,5 When the microorganisms colonize on the fabric surface to form biofilms, it is hard to be removed completely by conventional washing alone. 6 Therefore, it is necessary to apply antimicrobial fabrics to effectively inhibit or kill the microorganisms and improve human's life quality.…”

“…The growth and reproduction of microorganisms on the fabric will bring many adverse effects to the fabric itself and users, such as producing malodor, forming mold stains on the fabric surface, causing fabric structure damage, and inducing human skin diseases. − Moreover, the pathogenic microorganisms attached to the fabric will be transferred to cause crossover infections, threatening human health . Although daily washing can remove microorganisms attached to fabrics to a certain extent, the changes in current washing methods, e.g., low temperature, water economy, and active enzyme detergents, also bring adverse consequences such as residual microorganisms. , When the microorganisms colonize on the fabric surface to form biofilms, it is hard to be removed completely by conventional washing alone . Therefore, it is necessary to apply antimicrobial fabrics to effectively inhibit or kill the microorganisms and improve human’s life quality. − …”