ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES OF COTTON FABRICS TREATED WITH 8-HYDROXYQUINOLINE AND BORAX

8-Hydroxyquinoline (8HQ) is a metal chelating agent that also has antibacterial properties against several different bacterial specie, but its use in cotton textile fabrics has not been tested before. 8HQ may be an alternative to heavy metal-based applications for antibacterial textile fabrics therefore, the aim of this research paper was to investigate the antibacterial properties of 8HQ and borax (BX) treated cotton fabrics for the medical textile industry. The homogenous distribution of the treated chemicals was confirmed with SEM/EDX imaging. The antibacterial activities of the fabrics were also tested against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria by mimicking the ISO 20645:2004 Standard Test Method. The highest antibacterial property was observed with the 8HQ+BX (8HB) treated cotton samples. Therefore, the 8HB treated cotton products have a potential for use especially in the medical fields mainly due to the absence of heavy metals and bacterial growth.