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Abstract

Multifunctional Coated Textiles for Active Biological Protection †

1
Fibrenamics, Institute of Innovation on Fiber-Based Materials and Composites, University of Minho, 4710-057 Guimaraes, Portugal
2
Centre for Textile Science and Technology (2C2T), University of Minho, 4710-057 Guimaraes, Portugal
3
CEB, Centre of Biological Engineering, LIBRO–Laboratório de Investigação em Biofilmes Rosário Oliveira, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
4
LABBELS–Associate Laboratory, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Presented at the Materiais 2022, Marinha Grande, Portugal, 10–13 April 2022.
Mater. Proc. 2022, 8(1), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/materproc2022008143
Published: 3 August 2022
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of MATERIAIS 2022)
The rising threats to the worldwide security (military and civilian) attest the need to develop efficient and versatile technological solutions to protect the human being. Specifically, those who put themselves in situations of most exposure—those protecting and caring for the safety of others—should be adequately protected, so that infectious diseases cannot be spread or misused so easily. Current technology in biological protective garments is traditionally based on a multilayered fabric integrating activated carbon as the sorptive agent, and a separate filtrating layer for passive protection. However, the adsorbed contaminants accumulate within the carbon filler over time, turning into secondary contaminants. The clothing becomes too heavy and warm to wear, not breathable, hindering them from performing active work for extended hours. Hence, there is a strong need to select and create innovative materials, fibrous structures with incorporated active agents, offering efficient filtering capability and bioactive protective skills. A rational design of layered compositions is key to ensure lightweight, comfortable, breathable and multifunctional fabrics [1,2].
Our proposal relies on the use of textile-based macro-to-nanoscale structures, acting in consonance to reach the intended biocidal effects. A twill fabric composed of cotton and polyamide fibers, hydrophobic but breathable, constitutes the first passive protective barrier. Internally, by resorting to zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) [3] and a polyurethane-based paste, an active protective barrier was spread by knife coating, using 0.5–2% w/v ZnO NPs and 0.25–0.5 mm of thickness. A coating thickness of ≈13 nm was obtained, and parameters such as fabric wettability (water contact angle of ≈130°) and breathability (air permeability of ≈30 L/m2/s) remained unaffected. Qualitative and quantitatively tests (JIS L 1902 standard) using two representative bacteria species, the gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and the gram-negative Escherichia coli evaluated the front and back sides of the coated textiles following 24 h of incubation, as typically done to screen technical textiles’ action against biological threats [4]. Those with ZnO NPs successfully eradicated all S. aureus and E. coli colonies. Collectively, the strategy here presented is intended to enhance current textile-based options under the scope of bioterrorism, opening new perspectives for the safety of those potentially exposed to biological warfare agents.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, J.C.A., I.P.M., M.H. and R.F.; methodology, J.C.A., L.M.A., M.S.-S., F.G. and I.P.M.; validation, M.H. and R.F.; formal analysis, J.C.A.; investigation, J.C.A.; data curation, J.C.A., T.F. and M.S.-S.; writing—original draft preparation, J.C.A., M.S.-S., F.G. and I.P.M.; writing—review and editing, J.C.A. and I.P.M.; supervision, M.H. and R.F.; project administration, R.F.; funding acquisition, M.H., F.C. and R.F. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

The authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), the FEDER funds by means of the Portugal 2020 Competitive Factors Operational Program (POCI), and the Portuguese Government (OE) for funding the project PluriProtech—“Desenvolvimentos de soluções multicamada para proteção ativa contra ameaças NBQR”, ref. POCI-01-0247-FEDER-047012. The authors also acknowledge the strategic funding of UID/CTM/00264/2020 of 2C2T and UIDB/04469/2020 of CEB, given by FCT.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

Not applicable.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

  1. Araújo, J.C.; Fangueiro, R.; Ferreira, D.P. Protective multifunctional fibrous systems based on natural fibers and metal oxide nanoparticles. Polymers 2021, 13, 2654. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  2. Schreuder-Gibson, H.L.; Truong, Q.; Walker, J.E.; Owens, J.R.; Wander, J.D.; Jones, W.E., Jr. Chemical and biological protection and detection in fabrics for protective clothing. MRS Bull. 2003, 28, 574–578. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  3. Boticas, I.; Dias, D.; Ferreira, D.; Magalhães, P.; Silva, R.; Fangueiro, R. Superhydrophobic cotton fabrics based on ZnO nanoparticles functionalization. SN Appl. Sci. 2019, 1, 1376. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  4. Song, X.; Padrão, J.; Ribeiro, A.I.; Zille, A. 16-Testing, characterization and regulations of antimicrobial textiles. In Antimicrobial Textiles from Natural Resources; Mondal, M.I.H., Ed.; Woodhead Publishing: Sawston, UK, 2021; pp. 485–511. [Google Scholar]
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MDPI and ACS Style

Antunes, J.C.; Ferreira, T.; Arruda, L.M.; Sousa-Silva, M.; Gomes, F.; Cunha, F.; Moreira, I.P.; Henriques, M.; Fangueiro, R. Multifunctional Coated Textiles for Active Biological Protection. Mater. Proc. 2022, 8, 143. https://doi.org/10.3390/materproc2022008143

AMA Style

Antunes JC, Ferreira T, Arruda LM, Sousa-Silva M, Gomes F, Cunha F, Moreira IP, Henriques M, Fangueiro R. Multifunctional Coated Textiles for Active Biological Protection. Materials Proceedings. 2022; 8(1):143. https://doi.org/10.3390/materproc2022008143

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antunes, Joana C., Tânia Ferreira, Luisa M. Arruda, Maria Sousa-Silva, Fernanda Gomes, Fernando Cunha, Inês P. Moreira, Mariana Henriques, and Raúl Fangueiro. 2022. "Multifunctional Coated Textiles for Active Biological Protection" Materials Proceedings 8, no. 1: 143. https://doi.org/10.3390/materproc2022008143

APA Style

Antunes, J. C., Ferreira, T., Arruda, L. M., Sousa-Silva, M., Gomes, F., Cunha, F., Moreira, I. P., Henriques, M., & Fangueiro, R. (2022). Multifunctional Coated Textiles for Active Biological Protection. Materials Proceedings, 8(1), 143. https://doi.org/10.3390/materproc2022008143

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