Influence of silver yarn distribution on antibacterial properties of polyester woven fabric

In this research, mechanical properties and antibacterial properties of woven fabric containing polyester and silver yarns were determined. The results found that the amount of silver yarns per square inch affected tensile and tearing strength of the fabric. Adding silver yarn in fabric increased the tensile strength of fabric but tearing strength got decreased compared to normal fabric. In addition, the antibacterial properties of fabrics were also investigated by using Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The antibacterial results showed that the polyester fabrics containing silver yarns exhibited excellent activities against both bacterial species which are more than 99.93 and 99.94% reductions of Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae, respectively when compared to the normal fabric. This developed fabric can be used as guideline that silver yarn is compatible with common textile processing, which are weaving, dyeing and finishing processes. In addition, it can help to develop the fabric for medical textile, which is one of the interesting segments in technical textile.