Production of Metal Oxide Containing Antibacterial Coated Textile Material and Investigation of the Mechanism of Action

The main aim of this study was to produce PVC coated textile based antibacterial textile material and to investigate the antibacterial mechanism with detailed analyzes. Metal oxide (calcium oxide, zinc oxide, magnesium oxide) powders were used to provide antibacterial functionality to coated materials. Metal oxide concentrations were varied between 5-35 %. Antibacterial tests were performed according to ISO 22196-2011 standard. Antibacterial efficiency of the samples was tested for each metal oxide type and concentration with L. innocua species. The antibacterial mechanism was investigated with ESR technique, fluorescent microscobe and microplate reader using DCFH-DA probe, UV-vis spectrometer using fluorescein probe. The results indicated that the antibacterial effect of used metal oxides was strongly arisen from radical oxygen species. The morphology of coatings was investigated with SEM and the distribution of metal oxide particles on the surface was examined with EDX analysis and EDX mapping. The changes on the molecular basis of the coating due to the metal oxide addition was analyzed with FT-IR spectroscopy. High antibacterial efficiencies (up to 100 %) were detected. It is suggested that the non-toxic metal oxides can be used as an effective and economically feasible alternative to conventional antibacterial additives for industrial applications such as conveyor belts.