Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

Antimicrobials have become part of our lifes because they provide protection against the growth, transmission and spreading of different microorganisms including harmful or undesirable bacteria. For example, textile fabrics may be advantageously treated with antimicrobials to prevent or avoid: 1) bad odours (odor control) in undergarments, towels and sportswear articles, 2) deterioration (the antimicrobial is used as a preservative) in carpets and bedding products and 3) infection with medical fabrics that could be used in wound dressings, bandages, implants, etc. Unfortunately, many antimicrocrobials are of concern for the environment because of their toxicity to fishes especially heavy metals like silver and copper. As the use of antimicrobials tends to increase, the scientific community turns to antimicrobial technologies that present lower toxicity, no leaching and possible regeneration of the antimicrobial activity in the washings. N-Chloramine compounds has shown great promises as they meet those criteria; however, they have shown a limited antimicrobial performance. A new class of antimicrobial compounds, comprising both N-Chloramine and quaternary ammonium moities, has been recently developped by Canadian researchers. The proposed work intends to develop, optimize and validate an industrially viable process to implement the new antimicrobial technology in various textile fabrics.