Abstract

Antimicrobial non-woven polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabric containing nano-silver of different concentrations has been prepared in a novel three step process. Nano-silver has been incorporated in between two layers of organosilicon thin film deposited by an atmospheric pressure plasma system. The top layer of 10 nm thickness was used as a barrier to prevent release of nanoparticles from the surface. The antimicrobial activity of the nano-silver fabrics was tested using Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli by a dilution method. The effect of silver concentration on the lag phase, the specific cell growth rate, and the cell concentration has been studied and discussed based on bacterial growth curves. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.