Antimicrobial Polymer Deposition Process for Enhanced Textile Adhesion

To address the Army need for a gas-phase process to deposit thin, durable, non-leaching antimicrobial polymers with long-term efficacy without deteriorating textile properties, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Antimicrobial Polymer Deposition Process to Enhance Textile Adhesion (AMPDETA). This proposed process is based on a pretreatment to enhance textile surface properties to augment deposition and adhesion of a cationic polymer during initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD). The pretreatment and iCVD processes are low-temperature, solventless techniques that are compatible with heat sensitive and dyed textiles. Regulating the parameters of the iCVD process allows nanometer control of the thickness and a uniform, conformal deposition of a polymer on textile surfaces. This innovative two-step process will deposit durable polymer films with long-term antimicrobial activity onto textiles surfaces without affecting textile properties, such as porosity, mechanical strength, dyeability, and durability. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of the AMPDETA process on cotton by characterizing the textile properties and assessing the antimicrobial activity after several laundering cycles. In Phase II POC plans to extend the AMPDETA process to different textiles and determine its scalability for batch fabrication.