Physical Fixation of Antimicrobial Substances (AS) into Polyester Fibers Manufactured from Recycled Chips

摘要

The present article has been directed towards the imparting of antimicrobial properties to polyester fibers obtained from recycled PET chips. The manufacture of such fibers was accomplished through physical fixation of antimicrobial substrate within the fine structure of polymer via: (a) addition of silver-exchanged zeolite or titanium dioxide powder (TiO2) and their mixtures to the polymer chips before fiber formation, and (b) by impregnation of the fibers in aliphatic and aromatic quaternary ammonium salts (QAS) solutions prior to drawing step on fiber production line. Characterization of the above finished fibers was carried out through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron dispersion emission x-ray (EDX), transmition electron microscope (TEM) and the physico-mechanical properties of the extruded fibers. The antimicrobial assessment revealed that all finished PET fibers showed high antimicrobial activity towards Gram positive (Bacillius mycoides), Gram negative {Escherichia coli), and nonfilamentous fungus {Candida alibicans). It was found that, the most effective physical method for fixation of antimicrobial agents to PET fibers is the impregnation of the fibers in aliphatic or aromatic QAS solutions prior to drawing step on the fiber production line.