Antimicrobial Characteristics of Pulsed Laser Deposited Metal Oxides on Polypropylene Hydroentangled Nonwovens for Medical Textiles

In this study, an attempt was made to investigate the antimicrobial activity on polypropylene (PP) hydroentangled nonwoven fabrics coated with transition metal oxides. After etching the nonwoven fabrics with RF plasma, nano-scale coatings of ZnO and CuO were done using the KrF excimer based pulsed laser deposition technique (PLD). Morphological and antimicrobial studies were carried out to elucidate the mechanism of antibiocidal behaviour of the coated fabrics. Results showed significant antibacterial activity of ZnO and CuO coated PP hydroentangled nonwovens with a better activity against gram positive S. aureus than gram negative E.coli. Inherently non-toxic, PP has excellent chemical resistance and the use of specialised PP fibres for hydroentangled nonwovens could offer scope in addition to metal oxide coatings; nano-scale biological materials such as enzymes and drugs could add specific functionality for their use as medical textiles.