Development and performance optimization of knitted antibacterial materials using polyester-silver nanocomposite
Abhijit Majumdar1, Bhupendra Singh Butola1, Sandip Thakur1
1Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi 110 016, India.
Summary
Researchers developed durable, antibacterial knitted fabrics using polyester-silver nanocomposite fibers. Higher blend percentages significantly boosted antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus, with minimal loss after 25 washes.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Textile Engineering
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Antibacterial textiles are crucial for hygiene and infection control.
- Polyester-silver nanocomposite fibers offer inherent antimicrobial properties.
- Optimizing fabric properties requires understanding key manufacturing parameters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and optimize knitted antibacterial materials using polyester-silver nanocomposite fibers.
- To investigate the influence of blend percentage, yarn count, and knitting gauge on antibacterial activity.
- To achieve cost-effective optimization of antibacterial textiles with desirable physical properties.
Main Methods:
- Blending polyester-silver nanocomposite fibers with standard polyester fibers in varying weight percentages.
- Producing knitted samples by manipulating blend percentage, yarn count, and knitting machine gauge.
- Testing antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus and assessing durability over 25 washes.
- Employing a linear programming approach for multi-objective optimization (antibacterial activity, air permeability, areal density) with cost minimization.
Main Results:
- All tested parameters (blend percentage, yarn count, knitting gauge) significantly impacted antibacterial activity.
- Blend percentage of nanocomposite fiber was the most dominant factor.
- Developed materials exhibited excellent durability, with only ~1% loss in antibacterial activity after 25 washes.
- Optimization using linear programming yielded validation samples with properties close to target values.
Conclusions:
- Knitted polyester-silver nanocomposite fabrics demonstrate significant and durable antibacterial activity.
- Fabric performance is highly tunable through control of fiber blend, yarn characteristics, and knitting parameters.
- Linear programming provides an effective method for optimizing multifunctional textiles based on cost and performance.
