Aqueous-based continuous antimicrobial finishing of polyester fabrics to achieve durable and rechargeable antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral functions

• A simple, practical aqueous-based continuous antimicrobial finishing method for PET. • The N-halamine finished PET provided potent biocidal and biofilm-controlling effects. • The N-halamine finished PET showed excellent storage stability. • The antimicrobial and antibiofilm effects were durable and rechargeable. This study reports an aqueous-based continuous finishing strategy to introduce durable and rechargeable antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral functions onto polyester fabrics. A series of water-soluble acyclic N-halamine precursors, poly(methacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (PMAs), were synthesized and finished onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabrics by crosslinking with poly(ethylene glycol)-based water-soluble epoxy resins through a simple continuous dip-pad-dry-cure procedure. Amide groups in the PMA on the finished PET were converted to stable N-halamines by treating with diluted chlorine bleach. The influences of reaction conditions on the finishing were evaluated, and the finished PET fabrics were characterized with Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, iodometric titration, water contact angle evaluation, fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) analysis. The N-halamine finished PET fabrics provided potent and rapid biocidal efficacies against Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and inhibited the formation of bacterial and fungal biofilms. Moreover, the finishing did not negatively affect the physical and mechanical properties of the PET, making the new process attractive for a broad range of related functional finishing of synthetic fabrics.