An Investigation into the Antibacterial Properties of Bamboo/Cotton Blended Fabric and Potential Limitations of the Test Method AATCC 147

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this paper, the antibacterial activity of various blend ratios of bamboo and cotton fibers was assessed qualitatively. It was found that incorporation of regenerated bamboo fiber did not drastically increase the antibacterial property of the resulting fabric. In fact, limited bacteriostatic property was observed in the case of the sample containing as high as up to 75% bamboo fiber. Thus, the study supports the reports stating that the regeneration process of bamboo results in significant loss of its antibacterial properties. Pile fabric (terry towel) was also considered and it was observed that the pile area showed inferior bacteriostatic property. This is attributed to the lack of contact between the pile portion of a fabric and the nutrient providing medium for bacterial growth. This is considered to be an important finding that could be beneficial for the relevant industry that is involved in developing antibacterial textiles.