Studies on poly(trimethylene terephthalate) filaments containing silver

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Antimicrobial Technology

Background:

• Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) is a versatile polymer with potential applications in various fields.
• Incorporating antimicrobial agents into polymer fibers can enhance their functionality and expand their use.
• Silver ions are well-known for their potent antimicrobial properties against a wide range of pathogens.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate two methods for incorporating silver ions into PTT fibers.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of these silver-ion-containing PTT fibers as antimicrobial agents.
• To characterize the thermal, tensile, and antimicrobial properties of the resulting fibers.

Main Methods:

• Direct addition of silver (I) sulfadiazine into PTT polymer before extrusion.
• Incorporation of silver-exchanged zeolites into PTT polymer.
• Characterization of thermal, tensile, and antimicrobial properties of the spun PTT fibers.

Main Results:

• PTT fibers with sufficient silver ions demonstrated significant reduction of Escherichia coli.
• Silver-exchanged zeolites imparted a silver color to the fibers, likely due to ion reduction during high-temperature spinning (256°C).
• Silver (I) sulfadiazine addition led to decomposition and unsatisfactory fiber spinnability, rendering it unsuitable for PTT fiber production.

Conclusions:

• Silver-exchanged zeolites are a viable method for producing antimicrobial PTT fibers.
• PTT fibers containing silver ions exhibit effective antimicrobial activity against pathogenic microorganisms.
• Further optimization of silver-exchanged zeolites in PTT is warranted for enhanced antimicrobial performance and material properties.