Enhancement of the antibacterial activity of acrylic fibers containing alumina-zinc silicate

Acrylic fibers containing alumina-zinc silicate were irradiated by electron beams at doses of 3-24 kGy to sterilize them. Irradiation at the dose of 3-15 kGy stimulated the antibacterial activity of the acrylic fibers, and their bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity values became higher than those of non-irradiated fibers. At the dose of 24 kGy, however, antibacterial activity was not enhanced. Next, instead of fibers containing antibacterial agents, three different antibacterial agents were irradiated by electron beams to study the activation of antibacterial activity. However, none of the irradiated agents showed a significant difference from the non-irradiated ones. The mechanism of activation of antibacterial activity is thought not to be by the activation of metal ions themselves. This study showed that fibers irradiated by a certain amount of 10 MeV electron beams have greater antibacterial activity than non-irradiated fibers, and also clarified the optimum irradiation dose range for fiber products. (author)