New process makes textiles germ-free

Science Daily : A University of Georgia researcher has invented a new technology that can render natural and synthetic materials, such as clothing and medical linens, permanently germ-free. Jason Locklin developed the antimicrobial treatment to kill a wide spectrum of bacteria, yeasts, and molds that can cause disease, create stains, and produce odors. It is inexpensive and can be applied to textiles using solution casting or spray coating either during or after the manufacturing process, and it remains fully active after multiple hot-water laundry cycles. Thin films of the new technology can also be used to change other surface properties of both cellulose- and polymer-based materials, including color, reflectance, absorbance, and iridescence. Locklin, who has published his results in Applied Materials and Interfaces, expects the process to be of special benefit to healthcare facilities and hotels, which are prone to the proliferation and spread of very harmful microorganisms.