Tutorial review on the processing and performance of fabrics with antipathogenic inorganic agents

Functionalized textiles have been increasingly used for enhancing antimicrobial or antiviral (antipathogenic) action. Those pathogens can cause recurring diseases by direct or indirect transmission. Particularly, airborne microorganisms may cause respiratory diseases or skin infections like allergies and acne and the use of inorganic agents such as metal and metal oxides has proven effective in antipathogen applications. This review is a tutorial on how to obtain functional fabric with processes easily applied for industrial scale. Also, this paper summarizes relevant textiles and respective incorporated inorganic agents, including their antipathogenic mechanism of action. In addition, the processing methods and functional finishing, on a laboratory and industrial scale, to obtain a functional textile are shown. Characterization techniques, including antipathogenic activity and durability, mechanical properties, safety, and environmental issues, are presented. Challenges and perspectives on the broader use of antipathogenic fabrics are discussed.