Method of Application of Silver-Coated Yarns for Antimicrobial Functional Sportswear

Abstract

The antimicrobial performance of conventional silver nanoparticle (AgNP)-coated clothing is known to diminish after repeated washing due to nanoparticle detachment. To address this limitation, this study examined the targeted application of silver-coated yarns as a more durable alternative. Silver-coated yarns were sewn into cotton garments at varying stitch intervals (2.5 ~ 10 mm) and evaluated for antibacterial efficacy in accordance with KS K 0693, both before and after washing. To validate real-world effectiveness, human wear tests were conducted using three types of T-shirts: a plain cotton shirt, a commercial antimicrobial shirt, and a cotton shirt stitched with silver-coated yarns. Bacterial levels in the axillary region were measured immediately and 3 h after exercise. The results showed that garments with stitch intervals of 4 mm or less achieved a 99.9% bacteriostatic reduction and maintained antimicrobial performance after 20 washes. In wear tests, the silver-yarn-stitched shirt reduced bacterial counts by 72.6% after 3 h, outperforming the commercial shirt (30.0%) and plain cotton shirt, which showed a 49.2% increase in bacterial load. These findings demonstrate that localized stitching of silver-coated yarns is an effective and wash-resistant method for imparting antimicrobial functionality to garments, offering both material efficiency and practical performance benefits.