Scientists of the Department of Chemical Technologies of the Saint-Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design (Ƶ) have developed a technology for creating bactericidal fabrics created by fixing metal nanoparticles on the surface and in the structure of textiles, while the bactericidal effect is resistant to frequent washing due to the extremely strong fixation that specialists from Ƶ managed to achieve. The price of such fabrics will be significantly lower than similar antibacterial materials.
When creating fabrics, scientists used copper nanoparticles, which have antibacterial properties like silver and are used to suppress pathogenic bacteria. “Copper tends to oxidize, so in order to maintain its stability, it is necessary to introduce chemical additives, which would remove the technology from the category of environmentally friendly. But we managed to solve this problem and find a way to suppress the oxidation process without the introduction of certain chemicals,” said Ekaterina Kudryavtseva, a graduate student of the Department of Chemical Technologies of Ƶ, one of the authors of the development.
While researching, scientists proved that when using copper nanoparticles together with silver nanoparticles, a synergistic effect is observed, that is, copper and silver enhance each other's effect.
“The tests showed that the resistance to microbiological destruction of the antibacterial tissues created by us was 94%, whereas with the use of silver alone it was 8-12%. We also recorded the inhibition of the growth of E. coli and Staph Aureus,” said Alla Burinskaya, Associate Professor of the Department of Chemical Technologies at Ƶ. “By creating bimetallic copper-silver nanoparticles, we can significantly reduce the cost of bactericidal materials known on the market, since, firstly, the use of copper has significantly reduced the amount of silver used in the creation of fabrics: silver salts on the market today cost an average of 25,000 rubles per kg, while copper sulfate costs 180 rubles per kg. Secondly, the concentrations of the salts used are very small, which significantly increases the economic benefit.”
As a result of tests, scientists have obtained high strength indicators of the fixation of bimetallic nanoparticles in the structure of textiles, as a result of which the service life of a medical mask made of such a fabric will be limited only by the strength of the selected material for nanostructure processing. The cost of processing one finished mask in production will be only 70 kopecks, excluding water and electricity costs.
The technology developed by scientists of the Department of Chemical Technologies of Ƶ is applicable to any material: cotton and viscose fabrics, wool, silk, as well as hemp fiber, linen, nylon, polyamide and cellophane film, and so on. At the same time, when processing a fabric or film, a coloristic effect is achieved: the material acquires a golden yellow, beige, brownish hue. This will eliminate the dyeing operation as one of the stages of the production process or significantly save on the consumption of dyes.
In addition to personal protective equipment, scientists suggest using the technology to create textiles for hospitals, underwear for researchers going on long-term expeditions, grain bags and even nylon filters. And the solution itself, tested during the creation of the fabric, can be used for antibacterial treatment of wood. Due to the coloristic effect in the form of beige and brown tones with a golden hue, the materials are planned to be used in the field of industrial design, clothing design and furniture.
The development of scientists is included in one of the strategic projects of Ƶ “Smart materials, fibers and textile” on reformatting the textile and light industry within the framework of the federal program “Priority 2030”.