Antimicrobial Activity of FIR Functionalized Textile Materials against Pathogenic Fungi Strains

Far infrared (FIR) functional textiles are a new category of functional textiles that have the potential to improve well-being and health. At the molecular level, FIR exerts strong rotational and vibrational effects with potential biological benefits. The majority of textiles with antimicrobial functionalization are based on synthetic products, and there is a need to link current end-user demands with both efficient products and low environmental impact, promoting natural antimicrobial treatments as viable solutions. Two structures of knitwear were obtained, with functional inorganic particles with antimicrobial, anti-UV and IR emission properties: variant 1: 100% BBC gauze ground yarn plated with functionalized polyamide yarn; variant 2: 85% wool/15% cashmere blend ground yarn plated with functionalized polyamide yarn. The antimicrobial efficiency of two types of functionalized materials was tested against six pathogenic microbial strains: Tricoderma viride (laboratory strain), Aspergillus flavus (laboratory strain), Candida albicans (ATCC 90028), Epidermophyton floccosum (CCM 8339), Trichophyton interdigitale (ATCC 9533) and Aspergillus niger (IMI 45551), highlighting various degrees of microbial reduction, depending on both the material and the tested strain, with lowest percentage microbial reduction of 9.67&, against Aspergillus niger strain, and highest of 86.65%, against Candida albicans.