Characterization of antibacterial silver coated yarns.

Surface treatments of textile fibers and fabrics significantly increase their performances for specific biomedical applications. Nowadays, silver is the most used antibacterial agent with a number of advantages. Among them, it is worth to note the high degree of biocompatibility, an excellent resistance to sterilization conditions, antibacterial properties with respect to different bacteria associated with a long-term of antibacterial efficiency. However, there are only a few antibacterial fibres available, mainly synthetic with high production cost and limited effectiveness. Cotton yarns with antimicrobial properties are most suitable for wound healing applications and other medical treatments thanks to their excellent moisture absorbance while synthetic based fibres are most suitable for industrial applications such as automotive tapestry and air filters. The silver-coated fibers were developed applying an innovative and low cost silver deposition technique for natural and synthetic fibers or yarns. The structure and morphology of the silver nanoclusters on the fibers was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy analysis (AFM) and XRD analysis, and quantitatively confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements. Good silver coating stability has been confirmed performing several industrial washing. Antimicrobial tests with Escherichia coli were performed.