Chemical trio imbues fabric with antimicrobial power

Medical facilities use many textiles, such as surgical drapes, hospital bed linens, and staff garments. Typically, these textiles are not resistant to microorganisms, meaning they must be disinfected or disposed of after contamination. Finishing processes can give fabrics antimicrobial properties to reduce labor, financial, and waste costs associated with these textiles.

Huang et al. studied the individual, compounded and synergistic antimicrobial effects on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacterial strains of three antimicrobial agents, iodopropyl butylamine (IPBC), zinc pyridyl sulfide (ZPT), and octyl isothiazolinone (OIT). These agents are already widely employed in textile industries, but their applications in finishing processes remain inadequately documented.

The results demonstrated that some combinations of the three antimicrobial agents elicit additive effects on both S. aureus and E. coli. Notably, an equivalent ratio of IPBC, ZPT, and OIT with a certain concentration exhibited inhibition rates above 99% against both bacterial strains.

Using a finishing process, the authors integrated a specific combination of these agents into nylon, a fabric that is notoriously difficult to make antimicrobial, and found that it could produce additive antimicrobial effects without reducing its whiteness or durability.

“This work offers a straightforward and effective approach to textile antimicrobial finishing,” said author Yi Huang. “These strategies could be used to produce textiles endowed with antimicrobial properties, a novel alternative for textiles currently used in medical facilities, hospitality establishments, and other settings with high textile turnover.”

Next, the authors hope to investigate more compounded antimicrobial agents and apply them in practical textile production.

Source: “Enhanced bactericidal performance of textiles through compound antimicrobial agents,” by Yi Huang, Ying Li, Kai-Bo Chen, and Hang Zhang, Biointerphases (2024). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0003710 .

This paper is part of the Biointerface Science in China 2024 Collection, learn more here .