Spinning of Photocatalytic Fiber as Splittable Segmented-Pie Bi-Component Fibers for Antibacterial Textiles.

Abstract

The increase of public concern regarding hygienic living environments has accelerated research on anti-microbial modifications for many commodity and technical textile products. This study attempted to produce a durable self-cleaning and antibacterial textile material with a relatively low production cost using inorganic photocatalytic nanoparticles embedded in the textile fibers. The spinning of segmented-pie bi-component fibers was conducted using compositions of polyethylene and nylon 6 with 1.0% of TiO₂ as photocatalytic particulate filler. A lab-scale double-extrusion fiber spinning system was used to spin the filament fibers with differing winding speeds of 300 m/min, 500 m/m, and 700 m/m. The extruded round fibers were split into minuscule pie-shaped filaments, which significantly increased their photocatalytic surface areas. The compositions and morphologies of the split filaments and the TiO₂ particles in the filaments were characterized by optical microscopic images. Scanning electron microscopic images were used to investigate particles secured on the filament surfaces. The antibacterial effects of the fibers were assessed using a modified method based on the standard method, AATCC100: Assessment of Antibacterial Finishes on Textile Materials, by adding a visible light source above the test samples. The filament samples were tested with the two test organisms of Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The numbers of bacteria present were determined, and the percent reduction for the specimens with fibers embedded with TiO₂ and that with fibers without TiO₂ were calculated. The segmented-pie bi-component fiber with 1.0% TiO₂ showed enhanced bioactivity against both species of tested bacteria.