Abstract
The antibacterial efficiency of nanofibre composite yarns with an immobilized antibacterial agent was tested. This novel type of nanofibrous composite material combines the good mechanical properties of the core yarn with the high specific surface of the nanofibre shell to gain specific targeted qualities. The main advantages of nanofibre covered composite yarns over the standard planar nanofibre membranes include high tensile strength, a high production rate, and their ability to be processed by standard textile techniques. The presented paper describes a study of the immobilization of an antibacterial agent and its interaction with two types of bacterial colonies. The aim of the study is to assess the applicability of the new composite nanomaterial in antibacterial filtration. During the experimental tests copper(II) oxide particles were immobilized in the polyurethane and polyvinyl butyral nanofibre components of a composite yarn. The antibacterial efficiency was evaluated by using both Gram-negativeEscherichia coliand Gram-positiveStaphylococcus gallinarumbacteria. The results showed that the composite yarn with polyvinyl butyral nanofibres incorporating copper(II) oxide nanoparticles exhibited better antibacterial efficiency compared to the yarn containing the polyurethane nanofibres. The nanofibre/nanoparticle covered composite yarns displayed good antibacterial activity against a number of bacteria.
Highlights
Nanofibrous materials have attracted a huge amount of interest during the last few decades mainly in the framework of research and innovation studies
The results show that, even after 1 minute of contact of the bacteria with the polyvinyl butyral (PVB)/CuO, the antibacterial efficiency is over 90%
Composite yarns with a nanofibre cover were prepared by a modified needleless electrospinning method
Summary
Nanofibrous materials have attracted a huge amount of interest during the last few decades mainly in the framework of research and innovation studies Their high surface area, high porosity, small pore size, and compatibility with functionalizing additives mean that they are promising for various applications including filtration, membranes, medical applications, sensors, catalysts, and enzyme carriers [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]. Melt blowing is an environmentally friendly technology with a high production rate; the fibre diameter is usually high and the diameter distribution is very wide. This method has an additional problem with die clogging. Island-in-the-sea bicomponent fibre splitting is another technology suitable for the production of nanofibres with relatively high productivity; the resultant fibres
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