Application of nanotechnology in antimicrobial finishing of biomedical textiles

In recent years, the antimicrobial nanofinishing of biomedical textiles has become a very active, high-growth research field, assuming great importance among all available material surface modifications in the textile industry. This review offers the opportunity to update and critically discuss the latest advances and applications in this field. The survey suggests an emerging new paradigm in the production and distribution of nanoparticles for biomedical textile applications based on non-toxic renewable biopolymers such as chitosan, alginate and starch. Moreover, a relationship among metal and metal oxide nanoparticle (NP) size, its concentration on the fabric, and the antimicrobial activity exists, allowing the optimization of antimicrobial functionality.Andrea Zille (C2011-UMINHO-2C2T-01) acknowledges funding from Programa Compromisso para a Ciencia 2008, Portugal

Preparation and characterization of cotton fabrics with antimicrobial properties through the application of chitosan/silver-zeolite film

The development of antimicrobial cotton fabrics using chitosan/silver-zeolite film has been investigated in the present work. The film was applied to 100% cotton fabric using a common pad-dry-cure technique and citric acid was used as crosslinking agent. The resulting fabrics were characterized through infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), contact angle and scanning electron microscopy with X-ray microanalysis (SEM/EDS). The antimicrobial activity of the fabrics was assessed through the viable-cell counting method and the materials showed activity against S. aureus and T. rubrum. The textile performance of the fabrics was analysed regarding their characteristics of hydrophilicity and breathability. The finishing did not change the hydrophilic behaviour of the material. Although the permeability to air has reduced 20%, the permeability to water vapour remained practically unchanged. Therefore, the results suggested that the process approach of applying chitosan/silver-zeolite film is recommended to produce textiles with antibacterial properties.CNPq-Brazil (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – Brazil/National Council of Scientific and Technological Development – Brazil) for the doctoral scholarship (233550/2014-3). This work is also financed by FEDER funds through the Competitivity Factors Operational Programme – COMPETE and by national funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology within the scope of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007136. This research was partially supported by the Strategic Funding UID/Multi/04423/2013 through national funds provided by FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), in the framework of the program PT2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Thermal and antimicrobial evaluation of cotton functionalized with a chitosan-zeolite composite and microcapsules of phase-change materials

Antimicrobial cotton was developed using silver zeolites (SZ). Three different application approaches are followed for cotton surface functionalisation: (1) SZ alone, (2) SZ combined with chitosan film, and (3) chitosan-zeolite (CS-SZ) composite, previously synthesized by gelation process with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP). All finishes were applied into the textile materials through conventional pad-dry-cure processes and the obtained results were then compared. The resulting materials were characterized using Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared thermography and contact angle measurement, and the antimicrobial activity was evaluated. The results suggest that the application of CS-SZ should be recommended to produce textiles with antibacterial properties, showing activity against E. coli, S. aureus, C. albicans and T. rubrum. In addition, the finish can be combined with the application of microcapsules of phase change materials (mPCM) to obtain textiles with thermoregulation properties.CNPq-Brazil (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – Brasil/National Council of Scientific and Technological Development – Brazil) for the doctoral scholarship (233550/2014-3). This work was supported through national funds provided by FCT/MCTES - Foundation for Science and Technology from the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education (PIDDAC) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the COMPETE – Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade (POFC) programme, under the Strategic Funding UID/Multi/04423/2013, in the framework of the programme PT2020. This work is also financed by FEDER funds through the Competitivity Factors Operational Programme - COMPETE and by national funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology within the scope of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007136.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio