SAFER THAN SILVER, ANTIBACTERIAL MATERIAL MADE WITH ALGAE
Consumers concerned
about safety of silver ions in antibacterial and odor-free clothing will soon
have a proven safe alternative thanks to ultra-thin thread and a substance
found naturally in red algae.
The use of silver ions
for antibacterial textiles has been a matter of hot debate worldwide. Sweden's
national agency for chemical inspection is one authority which has ruled silver
a health risk, citing possible damage to human genetic material, reproduction
and embryonic development.
Mikael Hedenqvist,
professor of polymer materials at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, says he
and his colleagues, assistant professor Richard Olsson and doctoral student
Rickard Andersson, have produced new antibacterial fibres that combine
bio-compatible plastics with the antimicrobial compound, lanosol, which is
commonly found in seaweeds of the family Rhodophyta, or red algae.
"The substance is
a good alternative to particle-based antibacterials for clothing, as well as
compresses or bandages," Hedenqvist says.
Using a process called
electrospinning, they have succeeded in creating an ultra-thin thread, which
means fabrics can have more contact between the antibacterial fibre and the
surrounding area.
"Electrospinning
produces quite thin thread, with a thickness on the order of one-hundreth of a
human hair," Hedenqvist says. The result is more effective clean-up of
bacteria.
The thread with the
integrated antimicrobial compound (lanasol) does not clump up like fibres using
silver or other antibacterial particles. It can be used in random network
structures, such as in non-woven materials; or in a standardized fashion, where
all the strands run in the same direction.
"The active
substance is completely soluble and evenly distributed inside the thread,"
he says. "It forms no lumps or bumps that can occur when, for example,
silver-based particles are used.
"That's good
because these particles affect the thread's mechanical properties
negatively."
Hedenqvist says
material could one day be used in air filters or to dress fittings in
hospitals, since the active antiseptic substance of red algae has been shown to
kill 99.99 percent of bacteria type Staphylococcus aureus -- the most common
cause of skin and wound infections in hospital environments.
"Hospitals are
constantly striving to have as antiseptic environment as possible. But we're
not there yet," he says.
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