Scientists set to introduce antibacterial textiles
21 Jun '05
3 min read
At North Carolina State University, nuclear and textile engineers have joined forces with textile scientists from Egypt to create textiles that have permanent antimicrobial properties.
Dr. Mohamed A. Bourham, professor of nuclear engineering, and Dr. Marian G. McCord, associate professor of textile engineering, chemistry and science and biomedical engineering, are working with Professor Samiha Gawish and Ameera Ramadan from the National Research Center in Cairo, Egypt, to produce this new generation of antimicrobial textiles.
Using atmospheric plasma and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), a chemical catalyst, to open the molecular bonds of fibers, the research team has been able to successfully attach antimicrobial agents to the molecular structure of fibers, creating a permanent bond between the fibers and the agent so that washing and wearing do not reduce the efficacy.
“There are many applications for such a process,” Bourham says. “For instance, we could create wool that would be moth-proof, or we could produce cotton and synthetic materials for use in hospitals and other places where bacteria present a hazard.”
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of State through the U.S. Embassy in Egypt, the joint research project has potential for defense, homeland security and health care applications. For example, a soldier or emergency responder wearing clothing made of this special fabric could be protected from biological agents.
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.jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF)")
