Abstract:

This paper deals with the determination of the antimicrobial efficiency of plain plated weft knits antimicrobial treated with commercial silver chloride (AgCl (iSys Ag, Germany)) dispersed in a reactive organic-inorganic binder (iSys MTX, Germany). Antimicrobial treatment was performed by the exhaustion method. The morphology of untreated and antimicrobial treated knits was analysed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to confirm the presence of silver particles on the fibre surface. The antimicrobial activity was estimated using the Agar diffusion Test (according to standard EN ISO 20645:2004 (qualitative method)) and antibacterial finishes in a Textile Materials Test (according to the AATCC 100–1999 standard (quantitative method)). Two strains of bacteria - E. coli and S. aureus were used in this research. The results obtained proved that the fibre type and raw composition have an important influence on the relationship between the fibre surface and antimicrobial effect of the material formation and optimal antimicrobial efficiency obtained. It was found that pure fibre cotton and man-made bamboo knits had the highest antimicrobial activity for both types of bacteria (E. coli and S. aureus). Meanwhile knits of 100% polyester fibre and blended knits containing polyester fibre had an insufficient effect on the bacterial growth. It was also established that antimicrobial treated knits with the same fibre composition and very similar total linear density of folded yarns but with a different number of folded yarns in the structure have different antimicrobial activity. This is because the higher number of folded yarns in the knitted loop has a larger surface area and, herewith, larger antimicrobial acting area.