Antimicrobial polyester fibers containing silver ions. Part I. Fibers modification

A two-stage modification method of polyester fibers, derived from poly(ethylene terephthalate), possessing antimicrobial properties and designated for use as surgical thread and for other medical applications has been presented. In the first stage, carboxylic groups were introduced into the macromolecules of the polymer surface layer by grafting PET with methacrylic or acrylic acid. In the second stage, the grafted fibers were padded with biocide solution with the purpose of depositing silver ions (AgNO3 ) on them. The theoretical amount of COOH groups was determined based on the studies of their degree of grafting (X, Table 1) performed by gravimetric methods, and the obtained values verified by analytical methods (Figs. 1, 2). It was observed that the concentration of padded biocide (ZAg, Table 3) increases with an increase in the degree of carboxylic groups grafted into the polymer chain and also on the concentration of the padding Ag(NO3) solution (Table 4).