Chitosan coating on a woven PET surface modified by DBD plasma technique for antimicrobial property improvement

Abstract

In this study, a woven PET fabric with antimicrobial property was prepared by coating the fabric's suface with chitosan. First, hydrophilic improvement of the woven PET surface was accomplished by plasma treatment using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). The hydrophilicity fo the woven PET surface was characterized by wickability meaurement. The plasma-treated PET samples were further immersed in a chitosan acetate solution to achieve surface coating. The effects of chitosan concentration, temperature, and washing cycles on the amount of coated chitosan on the PET fabric were investigated. XPS analysis revealed an increment of polar functional groups, such as O=C-O and C-O, on the PET surfaceafter plasma treatment. However, the appearance of these functional groups decreased after surface coating with chitosan, indicating the involvement of these functional groups in an interaction with chitosan. The chitosan-coated woven PET fabric exhibited antimicrobial activity against E. coli and s. aureus.