Rapid fabrication of silver nanoparticle/polydopamine functionalized polyester fibers

In this paper, silver nanoparticles functionalized poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers with antimicrobial activity, electrical conductivity and good coating stability are reported. Firstly, silver plated PET fibers were fabricated by rapid polydopamine (PDA) modification followed by electroless plating. Secondly, the surface morphologies and compositions of PDA modified and silver coated PET fibers were characterized by employing scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectrometry. Finally, the antimicrobial properties and electrical conductivity of the silver plated PET fibers were investigated. The results showed that the silver coated PET fibers exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity to both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus (with an antimicrobial efficiency of 100 and 99.99%, respectively), and that the antimicrobial activity was well maintained after washing. The silver coated PET fibers showed electrical resistance of 0.76 Ω per 1 cm, indicating good conductivity. It was also demonstrated that the silver layer that formed had good mechanical durability, as indicated by conductivity measurements during tensile loading and observation of the surface morphology of the fibers under various modes of deformation.