Novel Dendrimers for Antimicrobial Textile Finish

The US Department of Defense requires antimicrobial textiles for integration with Soldier uniforms and in medical textiles to control bacterial growth. In the Phase I program, Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) developed a chemistry that will functionalize a broad range of fabrics with a novel antimicrobial dendrimer. The dendrimer provides a simple one-step textile process that chemically binds the antimicrobial agent to the fabric surface to prevent leaching. The technology provides a high concentration of antimicrobial activity on the fabric surface yielding 99+% kill efficacy of Gram positive and negative bacteria. The bound dendrimer is highly durable upon laundering, rugged use and harsh weathering. In this Phase II program, PSI will optimize and scale-up this process to functionalize and characterize multiple fabrics including cotton, polyester, and nylon and polyaramid textiles. PSI will fabricate a roll to roll process to provide continuous antimicrobial chemistry coupling in a cost effective versatile system. The optimized antimicrobial textiles will be characterized to provide data on the extent of coating coverage, functional group density, coating adhesion, and antimicrobial activity and lifetime. PSI will work with medical and soldier textile manufacturers to transition the technology for field use.