A University of Georgia researcher has invented a new technology that can inexpensively render medical linens and clothing, face masks, paper towels—and yes, even diapers, intimate apparel and athletic wear—permanently germ-free. Available for licensing from the University of Georgia Research Foundation, the treatment effectively kills a wide spectrum of bacteria, yeasts and molds that can cause disease, break down fabrics, create stains and produce odors.
It works on natural and synthetic materials and can be applied at any point during the manufacturing process or at home, and it doesn’t come out in the wash. Unlike other anti-microbial technologies, repeated applications are unnecessary to maintain effectiveness. If for some reason the antimicrobial layer is removed from an article—through abrasion, for example—it can be reapplied by simple spraying.Jason Locklin, the inventor, said the antimicrobial was tested against many pathogens including staph, strep and E. coli. After just a single application, no bacterial growth was observed on the textile samples added to the culture—even after 24 hours at 37 degrees Celsius.
“Similar technologies are limited by cost of materials, use of noxious chemicals in the application or loss of effectiveness after a few washings,” said Gennaro Gama, UGARF senior technology manager. “Locklin’s technology uses ingeniously simple, inexpensive and scalable chemistry.”
Thin films of the new technology also can be used to change other surface properties of both cellulose- and polymer-based materials. “It can change a material’s optical properties—color, reflectance, absorbance and iridescence—and make it repel liquids, all without changing other properties of the material,” said Gama.
A paper on the new technology was published by Locklin and colleagues online June 21 in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society.
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