Abstract: This paper used chloro acetic acid to treat Seacell active fibers. Carboxymethylated Seacell active fibers with high absorbency were obtained by reacting the hydroxyl groups in the fibers with chloro acetic acid. The swelling ratios, silver releasing properties and antimicrobial properties of the fibers before and after treatment were studied. Experimental results showed that the carboxymethylation treatment can effectively increase the absorbency and gelling performances of the fibers., with the swelling ratio for the treated fibers more than 10 times that of the untreated fibers. Because the fibers after the carboxymethylation treatment swell greatly when in contact with water, silver ions in the fibers can be released more easily. Experimental results showed that the modified fibers have better antimicrobial performances than the untreated fibers.

Key words: silver ions, SeaCell active fiber, carboxymethylation, antimicrobial material, release Ptoprtyy