Chitosan Blended Fabrics with Antibacterial and Biodegradable Performance

This project aims to develop chitosan fibre blended fabrics for functional intimate apparel with excellent antibacterial activity. First, the antibacterial mechanism of chitosan fibre will be investigated and the chitosan fibre will be fully characterised. Secondly, fibre blended trials will be conducted to study the chitosan fibre blending effect with other fibres. Furthermore, functional knitted fabrics will be designed based on the antibacterial mechanism and blending technology and the fabrics will be produced and characterised.

Chitosan fibre fabrics have been used for intimate apparel for its excellent antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. However, there is a large variation of the antibacterial and antimicrobial properties of chitosan products due to the unclear antibacterial mechanism of chitosan fibre. Besides, there is no suitable blending technology of chitosan fibre with other fibres for yarn and fabric production. This study proposes a cost-effective method to develop functional chitosan fibre blended knitted fabrics based on the established relationship between the degree of deacetylation and the resultant electrical and antibacterial properties and newly developed chitosan fibre blending technology. This technology will greatly promote the development of high value-added and functional textiles.