Session -5(Special Finishing Process in

Knitwear )
Dr. Md. Rafiqur Rashid,Assistant
Professor,BUTEX
Antimicrobial Finishing of Textiles

What are Microbes?

Microbes are the tiniest creatures not seen by the naked eye. They include a
variety of micro-organisms like Bacteria, Fungi, Algae and viruses.

Importance / Necessity of Antimicrobial treatment of textiles

Antimicrobial treatments for textiles materials are necessary for the
following reasons:
To avoid cross-contamination by pathogenic micro-organisms;
To control infestation by micro-organisms;
To arrest metabolism in bacteria in order to reduce the formation of odour;
To safeguard a textile product from quality deterioration.
What is Antimicrobial Agent?
What is Antimicrobial Agent?
Antimicrobial agents’ is a general term for drugs, chemicals or other substances that either kill or slow the growth of
microbes. Among the antimicrobial agents are antibacterial drugs, antiviral agents, antifungal agents and anti-parasitic drugs.
Another definition related to the textile field suggests that an antimicrobial agent can be defined as a natural or synthetic
substance that kills or inhibits the growth of micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae on a textile.
Example:
Silver, other metals and their salts
Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs)
Chitosan
Dyes (natural and synthetic)
Natural agents
Several less important antimicrobials such as
Polyhexamethylene biguanide,
Triclosan,
N-halamine
Peroxyacid compounds,
Poly( n-vinyl-2pyrrolidone) with iodine (pvp-i),
Chlorohexidin etc.
Antimicrobial Effect

Antimicrobial
 Effect
The antimicrobial effect can be divided into two deferent categories: microbiostatic and microbicidal

Microbiostatic effect: If an antimicrobial agent leads to the inhibition of the proliferation of a microbial

population and thus, hinders microbial growth it is called microbiostatic.
Microbicidal effect: Antimicrobial agents leading to the elimination or death of the cells are called

microbicidal.
An ideal antimicrobial agent used in textile finishing should have the following properties:

The agent should be effective against undesirable microbes and microbes should not become immune to the

agent.
The finish should be durable to washing, dry cleaning and hot pressing.

It should possess low toxicity to humans, and should not cause allergic reactions.

It should be compatible with other textile finishes such as flame-retardants, dyes, and water repellents.

It should have ease of application, where the agent can be applied through standard set up of textile machinery.

The agent should not be harmful to the environment.

It should not affect the overall quality or physical properties of the textile.

The agent must be cost-effective

Chemistry of Antimicrobial agents
Chemistry of Antimicrobial agents 
Silver, other metals and their salts 
A variety of metals and their oxides have been explored for antimicrobial finishing of textiles. Some of
these include silver, titanium dioxide (TiO2), zinc, copper and cobalt.
Among the antimicrobial metal ions, silver is widely used in textiles due to its high efficiency and low
toxicity to humans.
The studies showed that metal nanoparticles are more effective than the bulk material. The increased
antimicrobial efficacy is attributed to the small particle size, which provides large specific surface area,
leading to greater interaction with micro-organisms. 
Quaternary ammonium compounds
Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are well known important biocides that have been used for
many years.
In fact the first industrial production of antimicrobial textiles produced using QACs was in the late 1930s
for German and US army uniforms, to reduce odor and infections.
QACs are effective against a wide variety of microbes such as Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria,
fungi and certain classes of viruses
Chitosan

Chitosan
Chitin is a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine, a derivative of glucose. This
polymer is found throughout the natural world. It is the main component of
the exoskeletons of crabs, lobsters and shrimps, insects and other animals.
Chitosan is a natural, nontoxic, antimicrobial and biodegradable polymer.
Chitosan’s polycationic nature gives it antifungal and antimicrobial
properties through the action in which chitosan binds to the anionic sites of
the microbe protein.
It is also believed that oligomeric chitosan can penetrate the cell of a
microbe and inhibit ribonucleic acid (RNA) transcription, leading to the
prevention of microbial growth.
Dyes 

Dyes 
Some of the dyes used in coloration of textiles have shown antimicrobial
properties based on their molecular structures; these are mainly Chromium
(Cr) and copper (Cu) metal based dyes. dyes on silk have shown effective
antimicrobial efficacy.
The observed functionality was caused by a slow release of metal ions from
dyed fabric. The antimicrobial dyes belong to the following chemical
groups: acridine, triphenylmethane, phenothiazine, azo and fluorescence.
Some natural dyes also show useful antimicrobial properties. Some of the
examples reported include a natural cationic colorant, berberine chloride
which was applied on cotton fabric, and curcumin, an active component of
turmeric, which was applied on wool.
Natural agents

Natural agents
Inherently antimicrobial fibres
Some natural fibres are believed to be inherently antimicrobial, such as kapok, hemp, flax and bamboo.
Inherently antimicrobial fibres can be formed from antimicrobial chitosan. 
Natural bioactive agents on natural fibres
The major classes of antimicrobial compounds derived from plants are phenols, terpenoids, essential oils, alkaloids,
lectines, polypeptides and polyacetilenes.
In addition to chitosan and the natural dyes previously mentioned 
Silk sericin
Neem extract
Aloe vera
Tea tree
Azuki beans
Prickly chaff flower
Tulsi leaves
Clove oil
Onion skin and pulp extracts and some other herbal extracts.
Antimicrobial agents: others
Antimicrobial agents: others  
 Several less important antimicrobials such as  
Polyhexamethylene biguanide
Triclosan (It breaks down to toxic dioxin, hence it is banned in some European countries
(Gao and Cranston, 2008) and strongly criticized in the United States as well)
N-halamineand peroxyacid compounds,
Poly( N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)with iodine (PVP-I),
Chlorohexidin etc.
Basic methods of manufacturing antimicrobial effect on textiles
There are two basic methods for producing antimicrobial textile products:  
Spinning antimicrobial fibres, and
Treating fibres or fabrics in a finishing process.
Commercial antimicrobial fibres
Spinning:

Antimicrobial man-made fibre of natural

origin can be manufactured either
using inherently antimicrobial natural
polymers such as chitosan,
deacetylated derivative of natural
chitin or by incorporating
antimicrobial agents into the fibre dope
during spinning. The latter technology
is mostly applied to synthetic fibres;
there are many commercial
antimicrobial fibres in the market.
 
Antimicrobial Finishing Methodologies

Antimicrobial Finishing Methodologies Methods for improving the durability

The antimicrobial agents can be applied to of the finish  
the textile substrates by Insolubilisation of the active substances
Exhaust, in/on the fibre;
Pad-dry-cure, Treating the fibre with resin, condensates
Coating, or cross linking agents;
Spray Microencapsulation of the antimicrobial
Foam techniques agents with the fibre matrix;
The substances can also be applied by Coating the fibre surface;
directly adding into the fibre spinning dope. Chemical modification of the fibre by
Some commercial agents can be applied
covalent bond formation; and
online during the dyeing and finishing Use of graft polymers, homo polymers
operations.
and/or co-polymerization on to the fibre.
Applications of antimicrobial agents:
Applications
A wide range of textile products is now
available on the market comprising yarns
such as: cotton, linen, silk, wool, PET,
polyamide for many different applications:
Garments: socks, underwear, sportswear,
working clothes
Indoor: mattresses, floor covering, bedding,
household, furnishing, curtain
Outdoor: tent, shoe linings
Technical: fabrics, metal fibres, glass wool,
geo-textiles, paper
Hospital/medical: clothes, masks, sheets,
wound healing, bandages, tissue engineering
Risks of antimicrobial finishing
Antimicrobial textiles may interfere with the
skin’s non-specific defence mechanisms like
AMPs or resident microflora.
Due to their extremely small size Nanoparticles
have very special properties. The possible
undesirable results of their capabilities, such
as harmful interactions with biological systems
and the environment with the potential to
generate toxicity.
On the basis of median values, the most
harmful were nano Ag and nano ZnO. Nano
TiO2 was classified as ‘harmful’.
Moreover, nanoparticle waste can cause serious
problems if it accumulates in the environment.
Evaluation of antimicrobial activity
 Evaluation
of antimicrobial
activity
 Various test procedures have been
used to demonstrate the
effectiveness of the antibacterial
activity. Some of the tests used are
 Agar diffusion test (Qualitative)
 Suspension test (Quantitative).
 Soil burial test.
 Humidity chamber test.
Future trends  
Control of the size and shape of silver
Nanoparticles may be a topic of some further
studies on silver’s antimicrobial activity,
durability and possible toxicity.
Valuable results on chitosan might result in the
development of commercial products.
Dyes are common chemicals in the textile
industry, so their possible application for
antimicrobial finishing has several advantages.
Natural agents (herbal extracts) are important
environmentally friendly technologies, but due
to their relatively low antimicrobial effect they
can only be used for everyday purposes, and
not in hospitals.
 Waterproof Breathable Fabric
Breathability is defined as the ability of a fabric to allow perspiration, evaporated by the body, to escape (diffuse)
to the outside (termed moisture vapour transmission), thereby allowing complete comfort. Breathability can
therefore be defined as the ability of clothing (and fabric) to allow the transmission or diffusion of moisture
vapour, and therefore facilitate evaporative cooling. 
Water repellency generally refers to the ability of a fabric to resist wetting.
Water repellent (also referred to as ‘shower resistant’) fabrics(e.g. light fashion rainwear) will provide some
protection against intermittent rain but are not suitable to be worn in a downpour, as they willthenbecome wet
through and dampen the wearer.Water will bead and runoff the surface of water repellent fabrics but under
sufficient pressure it will come through. The amount of pressure required to do so is measure of water resistance.
Water (or rain) resistant fabrics will resist wetting by water and also not allow water to penetrate or pass through
the fabric under most pressures, thereby keeping the wearer dry in moderate to heavy rain.
Waterproof is the extreme case of water resistance, implying complete resistance to water. The fabric will not
allow water – even wind driven rain – through, since water cannot penetrate the fabric surface, and such fabrics
and garments should keep the wearer dry in prolonged moderate to heavy rain.
Windproofmeans that air cannot pass through the fabric
Weatherproof is used to stand for both ‘waterproof’ and/or ‘windproof’ technologies.

Waterproof breathable garment needs to satisfy the above waterproof requirements, as well asbeing able to
‘breathe’, i.e. allow water vapour to escape so as to maintain a comfortable ‘micro- climate’ between the skin of
the wearer and the garment.
Application of waterproof fabric
Specifications

Specifications
According to European standards, for a fabric to be classified waterproof it
must withstand a hydrostatic head pressure of 1500 mm, with most such
outerwear fabrics exceeding 10 000 mm.
It has been stated that fabric for active sportswear should support at least a
450 mm water column, and if a fabric can withstand a hydrostatic head
(pressure) of 100 g/cm2 (1.41 psi) or higher, then it will be impermeable to
rain.
Most specifications require a hydrostatic head (pressure) of 2000 mm;
above 1500 mm the fabric is impenetrable to raindrops. According to ISO
811, materials with a hydrostatic head of 1500 mm and more may be
designated as rainproof.
TYPES OF BREATHABLE FABRICS:

TYPES OF BREATHABLE FABRICS:

Different types of breathable fabrics can be classified into following
groups:
Closely woven fabrics
Microporous membranes and coatings
Hydrophilic membranes and coating
Combination of microporous and hydrophilic membranes and coating
Use of retroreflective microbeads
Smart breathable fabrics
Fabric based on biomimetics
 Closely woven fabrics:
 Ventile was the first breathable woven fabric [showerproof
rather than waterproof] developed by Shirley Institute UK
in 1940s made from fine long staple Egyptian cotton fibers,
using low twist mercerized yarns (generally combed and
plied), woven in very dense (high cover) oxford.
construction, i.e., plain weave with the warp threads run in
pairs.
 The oxford construction provides a flat surface with good
abrasion resistance and maximizes the closeness of the
weave without over stiffening the fabric. This fabric initially
is not water proof, but as it comes in contact with water the
cotton fibers swell to such an extent that the inter yarn pores
of the fabric are significantly reduced and thereby restricts
the passage of water.
 The fabric weight is generally in the range of 170–295 g/m2
depending upon the end use application.
 It has been observed that inter yarn pores of the fabric in dry
state are around 10 µm. The air permeability is low, but the
inter yarn spaces and hydrophilic nature of the fiber allows
adequate water vapor permeability.
More recently, tightly woven fabrics have been woven from man-
mademicro-fibres/filaments, such as polyester, polyamide, viscose and
acrylicfibres (conventional and bi-component), which produce
sufficiently smallpores, even when dry.
Very fine filaments and micro-fibres (e.g. 1 dtex,10 µm or less) can be
woven into tight constructions (e.g. 4800 × 7680 filaments/cm)to
produce pores small enough to prevent water molecules
frompenetrating,but large enough to allow water vapour to pass through.
Theycanbe laminated to a highly absorbent outer fabric (e.g.viscose or
cotton),wickingperspiration to the outer fabric which absorbs it and
allows it toevaporateto the outside.Alternatively, they can be used on
their own, but with a water repellent or other coating (finish), such as
silicone or fluoro-carbon,which can increase water repellencyand reduce
water penetration.
Anexample of a fabric in this category is Hoechst
TreviraFinesse,whichwill support a 500 mmwatercolumn,also after 5
washes. In theBundesmann Water Repellency Test (DIN 5388), in which
the fabric isexposed to artificial rain, it will remain dry for 5 hours, even
after fivewashes. These fabrics are softer and more water repellent than
the original
Ventile fabric. They have a narrow pore size distribution, within the
submicronrange.
 Microporous membranes and coatings: 

Microporous membranes and coatings: 

A micro-porous membrane (or coating) can be defined as a thin-
walled structure having an open spongy morphology of
precisely controlled pore size, typically ranging from 0.03 µm
to 10 µm in diameter. Microporous coatings and membranes
rely on an interconnected network of tiny holes (pores)
introduced by various means into an otherwise impermeable
polymeric structure.
Micro-porous membranes are generally made from the polymers
PTFE,
Polyurethane (PU),
Polyolefins,
Polyamides,
Polyester,
Polyether and polyetherbased copolymers,
The first two mentioned (i.e.PTFE and PU) are the most
popular.In most cases they can be cast directly onto
thefabric(i.e.coated) or formed into
Microporous membranes
The first use of a micro-porous membrane to produce a
breathable fabric in the 1970s, called Gore-Tex
represented a major step forward in the achievement of
comfortable breathable fabrics and garments.
The membrane (thin film) comprises an expanded
polytetrafluoroethylene (or Teflon) (ePTFE), having over
a billion pores per square centimeter, their size (˜ 0.2 µm
in diameter) being orders of magnitude smaller than the
smallest water droplet (±100 µm) and several times
larger than a water vapour molecule (40 × 10 µm), and
able to withstand a water pressure of up to 100 psi.

Pore size should preferably be below 3 µm fabric

membrane magnified by 40 000. For optimum balance
between water proofness and breathability. The PTFE
membrane is chemically inert, smooth, UV resistant,
water repellent, durable and can withstand high
temperatures.
 Hydrophilic membranes and coating:
Hydrophilic membranes and coating:
 Hydrophilic membranes and coatings are very thin polymer films,
generally of chemically modified polyester or polyurethane,
containing essentially no holes (pores) as such and sometimes
referred to as non-porometric. They combine ‘soft’ segments (e.g.
polyether chains) with ‘hard’ segments (e.g. polyurethane chains).
 Hydrophilic coatings ‘breathe’ by passing water vapour molecules
along their chains to the outside, while preventing water molecules
from penetrating. Such hydrophilic (non-microporous) polymer
films (membranes and coatings) can transmit water vapour
efficiently by a complex molecular diffusion or chemical adsorption
mechanism which allow water vapour molecules to pass through, by
absorption, diffusion and desorption, but not liquid water.
 The vapour initially ‘dissolves’ in the polymer, with the
concentration directly proportional to the vapour pressure, after
which it migrates to the opposite surface under the concentration
gradient.  
 The hydrophilic system is based on a chemical chain reaction
between moisture molecule and nonporous film.
Assessment of water proof fabrics
Assessment of water proof
fabrics, Bundesmann rain
tester, WIRA shower tester,
AATCC rain tester, Credit
rain simulation tester, Air
permeability tester
Assessment of water proof fabrics
AATCC rain tester
AATCC rain tester
Thank You All