Antibacterial finishing is appearing in more and more places, do you know what it is?

The textiles we wear have a multi-layer structure with many pores, and some natural fibers themselves are also porous structures, which also provide a good place for microorganisms to survive and reproduce. Therefore, people hope that the textiles we wear can prevent the growth of microorganisms. , and even play the role of outer layer protection, which makes the antibacterial, anti-mildew, and anti-odor finishing processing of textiles attract more attention.

Our common fabric fibers are porous materials. After being superimposed and woven, they will form a multi-layered body with countless gaps, so the fabric is easier to absorb fungi. Antibacterial finishing is to make fabrics have the function of inhibiting the growth of fungi, maintain a hygienic clothing and living environment, and ensure human health.

The development history of modern antibacterial finishing can be traced back to 1935. The antibacterial properties of textiles have been used in the military for a long time. During World War II, the German army equipped military uniforms with antibacterial finishing to reduce bacterial infections among the wounded.

By the 1960s, textiles with antibacterial finishing began to be used by civilians. At that time, organic antibacterial agents were mostly used to produce antibacterial textiles. With the successful development of inorganic antibacterial agents in 1984, antibacterial finishing developed rapidly, making antibacterial agents not only used in fibers and textiles. Also used in plastics, building materials and other products.

In the past ten years, the development and research of antibacterial finishing agents in three aspects, including inorganic compounds, fiber-coordinated metal compounds and natural compounds, have made remarkable progress.

Antibacterial finishing agents can be mainly divided into three types: inorganic, organic and natural.

Inorganic nano antibacterial agent

Nanosilver inorganic antibacterial agent is a green antibacterial agent that is currently actively researched and applied. When the size of silver reaches the order of nanometers, it exhibits many excellent and special properties compared with ordinary silver, such as non-toxicity and non-migration. Due to the quantum size effect and huge specific surface area, it has the advantages of low dosage and high efficiency in antibacterial finishing, which has positive significance for the development and production of green and environmentally friendly fabrics.

Many metal ions have antibacterial effects, and their intensity in killing and inhibiting pathogens follows the following rules:

Ag>Hg>Cu>Cd>Cr>Ni>Pb>Co>Zn>Fe

Because Hg, Cd, Pb, and Cr have residual toxicity to the human body, and Ni, Co, and Cu ions have a dyeing effect on textiles, they are not suitable for use in chemical fibers. In fact, the commonly used metal antibacterial agents are Ag, Zn, and their compounds.

Numerous experimental results show that nano-antibacterial agents not only have good antibacterial properties, but also have good wash resistance. In addition, they also have the characteristics of low toxicity, easy dispersion and good thermal stability. Therefore, a small dose of nano-antibacterial will hardly cause any chronic or acute illness in humans and animals. However, there are different opinions on whether the accumulated release of trace amounts of active inorganic ingredients is irritating and toxic to the human body and will have a certain impact on the environment.

Organic antibacterial series

Early antibacterial agents basically belonged to the organic series, and most were various complex compounds containing elements such as nitrogen, sulfur, and chlorine. The main varieties were: quaternary ammonium salts, biguanides, alcohols, phenols, aldehydes, and organometallics. , arsine, thiophene, etc. This type of antibacterial agent has good short-term bactericidal effect, but most of them have shortcomings such as drug resistance, poor heat resistance and stability, and short lifespan.

In the past ten years, the requirements for green and environmental protection have become more and more stringent, and the development field of antibacterial agents has become wider and wider. In order to break through the shortcomings of traditional antibacterial agents, researchers in many countries have turned their attention to alternatives to organic antibacterial agents—inorganic antibacterial agents. Antibacterial agents. In particular, inorganic nano-based antibacterial agents have the characteristics of high heat resistance, strong antibacterial properties, safety and reliability, and are currently widely studied green antibacterial agents.

Natural antibacterial agent

With the increasing awareness of environmental protection and the desire for “green” textiles, natural antibacterial agents have attracted more and more attention. Among the natural antibacterial agents, those derived from nature, mainly represented by chitin, are extracted from animals.

Chitin is the most widely used natural antibacterial agent. Chitin is mainly derived from crab shells, shrimp shells, shells and insect skins, as well as the cell walls of fungi and enzymes. It is rich in resources, biodegradable, and has good absorption properties. It is safe and non-toxic. Therefore, research on the application of this type of antibacterial agent is very active. Chitin comes from nature and is a “green” finishing agent. Experimental results show that the finished fabric has good antibacterial, hygroscopic and moisturizing properties.

Chitin produces textiles with antimicrobial health benefits. Because it does not contain chemicals and metal components, it can be used as a high-end green antibacterial textile. Chitin antibacterial agent is natural, efficient, safe and non-toxic, and is a product that is beneficial to human health and the global environment.

In recent years, the concept of green consumption has continued to rise, and people’s return to nature and environmental awareness have continued to increase, which has promoted the development of antibacterial finishing agents that meet environmental protection requirements, making more and more products disappear after their processing, application and functions have disappeared. Will not cause harm to human health and ecological environment. Because natural antibacterial agents are rich in resources, biodegradable and have good absorption properties. There is a great deal of interest in natural substances that can provide the same or even greater antimicrobial functions. Natural antibacterial agents have become another environmentally friendly finishing agent with wider development and application prospects.