Scientists from NC State Uni & Egypt develop textiles with anti-microbial properties
22 Jun '05
3 min read
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of State through the U.S. Embassy in Egypt, the joint research project has potential for defense, homeland security and health care applications. For example, a soldier or emergency responder wearing clothing made of this special fabric could be protected from biological agents. Other applications include surgical scrubs and hospital bedding, which could lead to reduced infection rates among patients.
The current coating process, with its chemical bath and drying time, creates chemical soups that can harm the environment, making it both costly and environmentally unfriendly. But the plasma-based process developed at NC State eliminates chemical wastes, making it a more environmentally sound investment. And fabrics made of molecularly altered fibers would be more economical for the end user since the properties are embedded in the molecular structure of the fibers, meaning uniforms, sheets and other items would not have to be replaced to maintain a high level of efficacy.
Keeping in mind that production cost and retooling would be an issue for textile manufacturers in both Egypt and the United States, the researchers designed their system so that it can be plugged into an existing production line easily without interrupting the process.
Tests performed at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) laboratories at NC State by Dr. Fred Breidt, associate professor of microbiologgy/fermentation, and Dr. Doria Wafa, visiting scientist in food science for the USDA, confirmed that the fabric samples altered with chitosan, a naturally occurring antimicrobial agent made from the shells of crabs and other shellfish, were up to 90 percent effective against three commonly occurring microorganisms: Lactobacillus planterum, E. coli and Staphyloccus aureus.
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