Permox—A Hydrogen Peroxide-Zinc Acetate Antibacterial Finish for Cotton

Abstract

A new, durable antibacterial finish for cotton fabrics has been developed that consists of the reaction products of zinc acetate, hydrogen peroxide, and acetic acid. The active agent is thought to be a zinc peroxide complex or polymer containing activc oxygen. When these reagents were applied to cotton fabrics, antibacterial activity was imparted which lasted throughout 50 home launderings. This treatment is effective against odor causing bacteria such as S. epidermidis and pathogenic bacteria such as S. aureus. For simplicity the name "Permov" is used to describe the finish. The treat ment consists of applying aqueous zinc acetate, hydrogen peroxide, and acetic acid solution to the fabrics and curing them for 5 min at 85°C. Other curing temperatures (23 160°C) were studied, as well as the effect of varying solution concentrations. Fabrics given these treatments had 0.2-0.8% peroxide and 0.3 3.4% zinc prior to laundering. Even after 50 launderings the fabrics retained 0.1-0.2% peroxide and 0.2-0.4% zinc. Disinfecting of fabrics with sodium hypochlorite before Permox treatment was not advantageous in maintaining antihacterial activity on repeated laundering Breaking strength, stiffness, and moisture regain of the treated fabrics arc comparable to untreated fabrics, but a moderate loss of tearing strength was observed.