According to different production processes and requirements, there are currently three main methods for producing nonwoven materials with antibacterial properties.

1. Adding antibacterial agents to spinning dope to produce nonwoven antibacterial materials

The antibacterial material is added to the spinning stock solution to make the spun fiber itself have antibacterial properties. The nonwoven material produced by this method has excellent washing resistance. The difficulty and key is the mixing and mixing of the antibacterial agent and the spinning stock solution The final impact on the spinning process, generally speaking, the strength of the fiber decreases, the color and light change, and the hand feels hard. This processing method is suitable for production processes such as spunbond, melt blown, and wet spinning.

2. Use antibacterial fiber to produce non-woven antibacterial material

Use pure antibacterial fiber or mix antibacterial fiber with other fibers, and process non-woven antibacterial materials by carding into a web. The antibacterial fiber has long-lasting antibacterial properties, but it is only suitable for specific fibers, and the price of antibacterial fibers is relatively expensive.

3. Production of non-woven antibacterial materials through finishing process

Antibacterial materials are made into textile printing and dyeing auxiliaries for printing and dyeing, and are used in finishing. Through the processing method of padding-drying-baking, antibacterial materials (molecules or crystals) are firmly combined on non-woven materials. So that the processed product has the antibacterial performance of washing resistance. After this processing, the fabric basically has no change in shade and color, and the physical indicators such as strength are not affected. This method is simple to operate and has few limitations. Different antibacterial agents can be selected according to needs to meet the antibacterial effect of the product.

Antibacterial finishing is generally carried out on the finishing line or non-woven fabric production line equipped with padding equipment. Antibacterial finishing can be carried out on non-woven materials alone. In order to save costs, it can also be carried out together with other functional finishing, such as printing, dyeing and other processes.

Several principles should be paid attention to in the production of non-woven antibacterial materials through the post-finishing process:

◆ Choice of antibacterial agent  

The antibacterial agent used in antibacterial finishing requires selective activity against unwelcome microorganisms, good antibacterial effect, no drug resistance, resistance to washing, disinfection and sterilization, etc. In addition, most of our spunlace non-woven fabrics are used in mask substrates, hygienic products and personal hygiene products, so they are required to be non-irritating to the skin and not produce sensitizing substances. In terms of antibacterial and antibacterial effects alone, inorganic antibacterial agents, especially silver-based antibacterial agents, have better effects, and plant antibacterial ingredients are more natural and safe.

◆ Process selection

Due to the different composition and molecular structure of different antibacterial agents, the adaptability to finishing methods is also different. There are relatively few restrictions on the application of inorganic antibacterial agents; when applying this type of antibacterial agent, attention should be paid to the influence of temperature, pH value, etc. on the performance of antibacterial agents. For example, some antibacterial agents lose efficacy or reduce the antibacterial effect at high temperature or different pH values.

◆ Matching principles among various additives when several processes are carried out at the same time

When performing multi-functional finishing on the same nonwoven material, attention should be paid to the matching principle between various additives to avoid mutual influence and reduce the effect. When carrying out antibacterial and dyeing finishing, it is necessary to consider the antagonism between adhesives, coatings, penetrants, defoamers and other additives and the impact on the antibacterial effect of antibacterial agents, so as to avoid the occurrence of anionic additives and cationic additives. Precipitation of additives in the same bath and unreasonable combination of various additives lead to reduced antibacterial effect.

According to different equipment and different product uses, there are other methods for processing non-woven antibacterial materials by finishing methods. For example, the method of spraying antibacterial agents can be used for products that do not require high antibacterial effects, and the single-sided coating process can be used for single-sided antibacterial materials, while the production of disinfectant wipes can be directly impregnated, and the mask cloth is preferably planted. Antibacterial materials and more.