Giant persistent antimicrobial and biocompatible polyester fabrics for anti-mold food packaging

Abstract Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers have been the most popular fabrics owing to their superior performances. However, PET fabrics generally wear uncomfortably because of their poor sweat absorbing ability, electrostatic charge accumulation, and unfavorable microorganisms. To endow PET fabrics with perdurable antimicrobial and antistatic properties by conventional methods is unachievable owing to the absence of reactive groups. Herein, we developed a one-step facile strategy for preparing antimicrobial PET fabrics via photochemical reaction using benzophenone terminated Gemini quaternary ammonium salt (GQAS) and Gemini betaine as the antimicrobial finishing reagents. The antimicrobial rate of GQAS finished PET fabrics and GQAS/Gemini betaine finished PET fabrics were greater than 91% against both the gram-negative Escherichia coli and the gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus after 50 laundering cycles, which were significantly better than usual antimicrobial fabrics. In addition, the antimicrobial PET fabrics showed prominently enhanced hydrophilic, antistatic and long-lasting antimicrobial properties, as well as negligible toxicity. Most importantly, this work proposes a universal and efficient strategy for the development of permanent antimicrobial and antistatic synthetic polymers without compromising their superiority those have great potential for industrial and healthcare applications, including but not limited to food packaging, clothes and medical appliances to prevent infectious diseases and mildew.