ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF FIR FUNCTIONALIZED TEXTILE MATERIALS

Abstract

Far Infrared (FIR) functionalized textile materials are enjoying a special attention nowadays, as a viable and practical solution for treating a wide range of medical conditions (relief of acute or chronic inflammation and circulatory problems, prevention of microbial infections, improvement of nervous system functions, reduction of skin lipids, improvement of blood circulation, removal of accumulated toxins by improving lymphatic circulation etc.). At the molecular level, FIR compounds and functionalized materials exert strong rotational and vibrational effects, with beneficial biological potential. These materials are based on the principle of absorbing light energy and then irradiating this energy back into the body at specific wavelengths. FIR functionalized textile materials are a new category of functional textiles that have the potential to improve well-being and health. Present paper explored the antimicrobial potential of four textile materials, functionalized with FIR, UV protection and antimicrobial functionalization compounds, tested according to two methods for assessment of antimicrobial character: a testing method in dynamic conditions and a testing method in static conditions. The evaluation of the antimicrobial character showed very good rates of reduction of the microbial population, of the functionalized textile materials, following the testing on four strains of pathogenic fungi: Candida albicans, Epydermophyton floccosum, Tricophyton interdigitale and Aspergillus niger, with reduction rates between 76.16% and 96.06%.