Manufacture and properties of chitosan/N,O‐carboxymethylated chitosan/viscose rayon antibacterial fibers

Chitosan/N,O-carboxymethylated chitosan/viscose rayon antibacterial fibers (CNVFs) were prepared by blending chitosan emulsion, N,O-carboxymethylated chitosan (N,O-CMC), and viscose rayon together for spinning. The fibers were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). TEM micrographs showed that chitosan microparticles dispersed uniformly along the oriented direction with the mean size ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 μm. DSC spectra of these fibers showed that no significant change in thermal property was caused by adding chitosan and N,O-CMC into the viscose rayon. TGA spectra showed that the good moisture retentivity was not affected by the addition of chitosan and N,O-CMC. Both DSC and TGA suggested that the decomposing tendency of the viscose rayon above 250°C seemed to be weakened by the chitosan. The fibers' mechanical properties and antibacterial activities against Escherchia coli,Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans were measured. Although the addition of chitosan slightly reduced the mechanical properties, the antibacterial fibers' properties were obtained and were found to meet commercial requirements. CNVF exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against E. coli,S. aureus, and C. albicans. The antibacterial activity increased along with the chitosan concentration and was not greatly affected by 15 washings in water. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the morphology of bacteria cells incubated together with the antibacterial or reference fibers. SEM micrographs demonstrated that greater amounts of bacteria could be adsorbed by the antibacterial fiber than by the reference fiber; these bacteria were overwhelmingly destroyed and killed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 2049–2059, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10501