关键词: 功能性纺织品, 抗菌整理, 抗菌机制, 无机纳米粒子, 金属离子

Abstract:

Significance Bacterial infections represent the leading cause of mortality worldwide, with hundreds of millions of cases and tens of millions of deaths occurring annually, posing a significant challenge to the global public health and safety. The proliferation of microorganisms on textile surfaces not only compromises their durability and service life but also poses risks to human health. In this context, antimicrobial textiles have attracted considerable attention for their capacity for effectively impeding the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, and for maintaining personal and public hygiene. There are currently three maijor types of functional nano-antibacterial agents used in textile engineering, i.e., organic, inorganic, and natural nano-antibacterial agents. Among these, inorganic nano-antibacterial agents are extensively employed owing to their stable physicochemical properties and broad-spectrum, multimodal antimicrobial mechanisms. Moreover, these materials could be made to offer additional functionalities such as ultraviolet protection, photocatalytic self-cleaning, and antistatic properties. Such integrated characteristics are the friving forces to the development of multifunctional and intelligent textiles.

Progress The properties, application characteristics, and immobilization strategies on fiber surfaces of inorganic nano-antibacterial agents were comprehensively reviewed. Based on their chemical composition and structure, inorganic antibacterial agents are categorized into metallic nanoparticles, metallic compound nanoparticles, and composite nanomaterials. Among these, nanocomposite antibacterial agents effectively overcome the limitations of single-component agents through synergistic and complementary interactions among multiple constituents, representing a major development direction in the field of antibacterial materials. Currently, commonly used methods for achieving efficient and stable loading of nano-antibacterial agents onto fibers include pad-dry-cure, spraying, sol-gel processing, covalent cross-linking, and in situ reduction deposition. The antibacterial mechanisms of inorganic nano-antibacterial textiles can be broadly categorized into passive and active modes. Passive antibacterial mechanisms include physical damage, metal ion release, and contact-mediated catalysis, while active antibacterial mechanisms involve photothermal and photocatalytic sterilization. In most cases, these mechanisms work in combination to form a multi-level and synergistically enhanced antibacterial system, which collectively contributes to the efficient, durable, and on-demand intelligent antibacterial performance of inorganic nano-antibacterial textiles, thereby broadening their potential applications in medical textiles, smart protective clothing, and related fields.

Conclusion and Prospect Inorganic nano-antimicrobial agents have attracted considerable interest in the textile field due to their distinctive physicochemical properties, broad-spectrum and highly effective antibacterial properties. Researchers have successfully incorporated various types of inorganic nanoparticles onto fiber surfaces through multiple methods, yielding functional textiles with excellent antibacterial performance. However, such inorganic nanoparticles are susceptible to agglomeration, oxidation, or photochemical corrosion, which may compromise their antimicrobial efficacy. Moreover, the binding fastness and durability of these nano-antimicrobial agents on textiles remain insufficient, often resulting in detachment during use and laundering. This not only diminishes antibacterial function but may also raises concerns regarding the release of nanoparticles into the environment, with potential adverse ecological effects. Future efforts should prioritize the development of green manufacturing strategies, such as bio-based nanoparticle synthesis, biodegradable carrier systems, and low-energy deposition techniques, to enhance ecological sustainability and biocompatibility. Furthermore, the integration of antibacterial properties with other functionalities such as sensing, energy conversion, and electromagnetic shielding presents a promising pathway for the development of advanced smart textile materials.

Key words: functional textile, antibacterial finishing, antibacterial mechanism, inorganic nanoparticle, metal ion