Piezoelectric antibacterial fabric comprised of poly(l-lactic acid) yarn

A lactic acid monomer has an asymmetric carbon in the molecule, so there are optical isomer l- and d-type. The most widely used poly(lactic acid) (PLA) for commercial applications is poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA). PLLA is the polymerization product of l-lactide. Certain treatments of PLLA can yield a film that exhibits shear piezoelectricity. Thus, piezoelectric PLLA fiber can be generated by micro slitting piezoelectric PLLA films or by a melt spinning method. We prepared left-handed helical multi fiber yarn (S-yarn) and right-handed helical yarn (Z-yarn) using piezoelectric PLLA fiber. PLLA exhibited shear mode piezoelectricity, causing the electric polarity of the yarn surface to be reversed on the S-yarn and Z-yarn when tension was applied. An SZ-yarn was produced by combining the S-yarn and Z-yarn, and fabric was prepared using the SZ-yarn. This study demonstrated that the fabric has a strong antibacterial effect, which is thought to be due to the strong electric field between the yarns. The field is generated by a piezoelectric effect when the fabric was extended and contracted.