EFFECTS OF NOVEL ANTIBACTERIAL CHEMICALS ON LOW TEMPERATURE PLASMA FUNCTIONALIZED COTTON SURFACE

Since natural fibers are very susceptible to bacterial attacks, various antibacterial finishes have been developed to control the bacterial growth. Metal and metal salts, quaternary ammonium compounds, N-halamines, chitosan, polybiguanids and halogenated phenols can be used for antibacterial finishes. On the other hand, plasma treatment has become very popular for improved antibacterial activity in recent times. In this study, the effect of argon plasma treatment on cotton fabrics before antibacterial finishing process was investigated. After antibacterial finish process, they were washed up to ten cycles. The antibacterial activities of the washed and unwashed samples were evaluated according to the AATCC Test Method 147-1998. The surface morphology was characterized by SEM and FTIR analysis. From the results, it’s observed that plasma application clearly increased the antibacterial activity of the samples and the most efficient and washing durable antibacterial agent was non-ionic diphenylalkane based chemical agent. From the SEM images, it’s seen that after argon plasma treatment, the cotton surface has become rougher and more silver particles have been attached to the surface. This fact was also confirmed by EDX analysis.