The antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles deposited on corona treated polyamide fabrics

Abstract

Global trends in the textile industry are shifted towards manufacturing of high-added value products such as medical, protective and smart textiles [1]. The recent production growth in these areas renewed the interest for antibacterial finishing of textile materials. Simultaneously, the great progress in development of controlled synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) and their numerous potential applications opened up new possibilities for engineering the advanced properties of textile materials [2-3]. Various nanometer-sized metal and metal oxide particles can provide antibacterial properties [4-9], but silver NPs seem to be particularly attractive due to excellent antibacterial efficiency of silver itself known for a long time. The application of silver nanoparticles in the antibacterial finishing of textiles is favorable due to their stability and high surface to volume ratio, which provides significant bactericidal efficiency. This study was aimed to highlight the possibility of using the corona treatment for fibre surface activation, which can facilitate the efficient loading of silver NPs from colloid onto the polyamide (PA) fabrics creating the stable composite system with improved antibacterial properties. Bactericidal efficiency and laundering durability of silver loaded fabrics against Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli were evaluated. Elsewhere, the influence of silver NPs on color change of fabrics dyed with acid dye C.I. acid green 25 and disperse dye C.I. disperse blue 3 was studied, too. Additionally, the influence of dyeing on antibacterial efficiency of silver loaded fabrics was determined.