Effect of hydrophilic procedures on carboxyl content and antimicrobial activity of silver-treated nylon 6,6 fabrics

This paper presents the improvement of the hydrophilicity of nylon knitted and warp knitted fabrics using the Hydrowick NA process with a combination of antimicrobial silver application and characterization of the treated knitted and warp knitted fabrics by FTIR, SEM, XPS and antimicrobial activity tests using the AATCC 100 test method and moisture regain test. Antibacterial nylon knitted and woven fabrics have been developed by incorporating antibacterial agents into the structure of the fibres, for longer durability and effect, rather than just depositing them on the surface. Hydrophilic processes have an impact on the antimicrobial activity, resistance to repeated washing and moisture regain of the nylon knitted and warp knitted fabrics. The nylon knitted and warp knitted fabrics showed higher antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus after the hydrophilic finishing process. It can be seen that there is a correlation between a decrease in bacterial growth and an increase in the concentration of the hydrophilic agent. The results showed that the knitted nylon fabrics using the Hydrowick NA process had higher moisture regain at the same surface weight per unit of textile. Analysis of variance with p < 0.05 showed that the results were statistically significant. The 1 x 1 rib double jersey nylon knits showed the highest antimicrobial performance. It was also observed that the surface area of the knitted fabric was also decisive for the antimicrobial activity.