Surface Modification of Polyester-Fabric with Hydrogels and Silver Nanoparticles: Photochemical Versus Gamma Irradiation Methods.

Kathleen A Montoya-Villegas,Emilio Bucio,Alexei F Licea-Navarro,Ángel Licea-Claverie,Johanna Bernáldez-Sarabia,Alejandro Ramírez-Jiménez,Sergio Pérez-Sicairos

doi:10.3390/ma12203284

Abstract

A Gamma irradiation and photochemical crosslinking/grafting of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) and poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) (poly(HEMA-co-PEGMA)) hydrogels onto polyethyleneterephtalate fabric (PET) surfaces were evaluated, in order to obtain a hydrophilic homogeneous coating onto PET fabrics. The materials were characterized by FTIR-ATR, SEM, EDS, and thermal analysis. Furthermore, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were loaded by in situ reduction of AgNO3, and its antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was determined. Results showed a ticker coating of hydrogel using gamma radiation and stronger in deep modification of the fibers; however, by the photochemical method, a thin coating with good coverage of PET surface was obtained. The differences in hydrophilicity, thermal properties, and antibacterial activity of the coated fabrics by using both methods were rather small.

Highlights

Materials for biomedical applications need to fulfill a series of mechanical, physical, chemical, and biological properties to have an adequate performance in contact with a living organism
Results showed that when using the photochemical method, the grafting yield was between 49% and 96%, whereas using the gamma radiation method, it was between 210% and 400%, both related to the weight of the unmodified polyethyleneterephtalate fabric (PET)-fabric
The high grafting percentages obtained by gamma irradiation are not good for the application of PET as fabric owing to their increased thickness; even at 50 kGy of irradiation dose, the percentage of grafted hydrogel was too high (285%)

Summary

Introduction

Materials for biomedical applications need to fulfill a series of mechanical, physical, chemical, and biological properties to have an adequate performance in contact with a living organism. It is not usual to find a material that meets all the requirements needed for a given application, so the development of new materials by molecular modification of basis materials remains a challenge. There is a renewed interest in textile materials with antimicrobial properties for medical, healthcare, hygiene, and sports applications. The attachment of microorganisms to the surface of the material is the main problem related to infection and this is the first step in the development of post-operational complications.

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Conclusion