The antibacterial activities of hydrophilic-modified nonwoven PET

The hydrophobic surface of nonwoven PET with surface inertia has limited the practical bioapplications. In this study, nonwoven PET was activated by argon gas plasma and subsequently water-soluble monomers (acrylamide and itaconic acid) were grafted onto the PET by UV-induced surface graft polymerization. After the plasma activation and/or grafting, the hydrophobic surface of nonwoven was modified into a hydrophilic surface. To improve wound healing, the following three biocides have been used in this study: (1) AgNO3 solution complexes, (2) Vinyl quarternary ammonium salt (VQAS) and (3) chitosan. For Ag+ ion impregnation and VQAS grafting, the amount of these biocidal materials on the surface increases when the monomer concentration increases. However, for the chitosan immobilization, the chitosan amounts seemingly decrease with an increase in the chitosan concentration. For biocidal properties, the Ag+ ions produce best result. However, the VQAS grafting is most durable against the flushing water. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.