The use of chitosan to impart antimicrobial activity to textile materials
In the current situation of the general pandemic, the article reviews and analyzes new developments and already existing technological solutions in the field of modification of textile materials by coating, with a pronounced antimicrobial effect. The advantages of the biodegradable polysaccharide chitosan, which has its own antibacterial activity, are considered in the article as an alternative compound used at the stage of final finishing of textile materials of different nature. The peculiarities of the influence of the cationic nature of natural organic polyelectrolyte solutions possessing a high charge density on the fields of its applications and properties have been studied. The factors causing the biological antimicrobial activity of chitosan, its ability to impart fungicidal, bacteriostatic, antifungal and anti-allergenic properties to textile materials have been analyzed. The analysis of the mechanism of microbes inhibition by chitosan due to electrostatic interaction of positively charged polysaccharide with negatively charged surface of many fungi and bacteria with their subsequent destruction is carried out. The prospects for using chitosan as an antimicrobial, anticoagulant, blood-stopping, antistatic and color-enhancing coating of textile materials based on different types of fibers are considered. In addition, the authors provide a number of research results in the field of imparting soft aseptic properties to textiles, reducing the risk of adverse toxic effects and reducing the ecological burden on the environment.