Antibacterial Silver-Coated Natural Fibers To Reduce Nosocomial Infections

Over the last few years different antibacterial technologies have been developed in order to obtain fabrics and fibers with antibacterial capabilities for use in hospital environments. High levels of sanitation are indeed required in order to reduce nosocomial cross-transmission of infections. Silver-coated fibers are particularly appealing for the production of antibacterial textiles, due to the outstanding properties of silver, characterized by a high degree of biocompatibility, an excellent resistance to sterilization conditions, and antibacterial properties with respect to different bacteria, associated with long-term efficiency. In this study an innovative patented low-cost technique to deposit silver on natural and synthetic substrates has been exploited to obtain silver-coated natural fibers (i.e. cotton and flax). Such natural fibers are largely used in the hospitals for the production of sheets, pillowcases and other textile products that should possess high levels of sanitation. The structure and morphology of the silver nanoclusters deposited onto natural fibers was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the coating was quantitatively assessed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Good silver coating stability resulted from several industrial washings performed on the samples. The antimicrobial capabilities of the treated fibers were confirmed by antibacterial tests with Escherichia Coli. Silver-coated natural fibers thus show potential for the development of antibacterial textiles with long-term efficiency that is particularly useful in healthcare settings.