Characterization of silver release from commercially available functional (nano)textiles

Scalable and Environmentally Benign Process for Smart Textile Nanofinishing

“…The high AA values shown in Figure 7a can be attributed to the large specific surface area and to the associated fast ion release rate of the NPs that were synthesized and used here. 43 In contrast to traditional wetfinishing processes, 18,50,51 the textiles with such low Ag NP loading (in the order of 10 ppm) still have high antimicrobial efficiency (against Staphylococcus Aureus (SA) and Klebsiella Pneumoniae (KP), as shown respectively in the left and right columns in Figure 7a). Minor differences in AA against SA and KP can be explained by the dissimilar defense systems of the two species against Ag ions 46 .…”

“…Such agglomerates easily become detached from the fibers during washing. 51 Even after three washing cycles, virtually no decay is observed in the AA of the nanofinished textiles, implying that a lower amount of Ag NPs (ca. 10 ppm) would be sufficient to achieve an AA value of ca.…”

“…55 Nanofinished textiles can release a fraction of the deposited NPs upon washing, and thus reduce their antimicrobial activity and have an impact on the environment. 57 Although the NP release mechanism can vary depending on the temperature and the pH of the deterrent, [58][59][60][61] we used the standard ISO 105-C06:2010 washing method at the most harsh conditions, 62 which fixed a pH of 6.5~7.0 and temperature at 90 o C. Doing so facilitates comparison with other studies 51 and maintains textile properties (e.g., color, comfort, and texture) for long-term use.…”

Toxicity, bioaccumulation and biomagnification of silver nanoparticles in green algae (Chlorellasp.), water flea (Moina macrocopa), blood worm (Chironomusspp.) and silver barb (Barbonymus gonionotus)

“…Similar to ionic silver, AgNPs may be discharged to the aquatic environment from washing, leaching, mining and other anthropogenic sources (Purcell and Peters, 1998). Lorenz et al, 2012 provided evidence that AgNPs of about 10 nm diameter were presented in wastewater from washing fabric containing AgNPs with between 34-80% of the released Ag in the form of particles larger than 450 nm. The concentration of AgNPs released to the aquatic environment was estimated at about 0.01 µg L -1 (Tiede et al, 2009), but given the increased usage, the discharge of AgNP will undoubtedly increase in the near future (Bilberg et al, 2010).…”

Potential risks and benefits of nanotechnology: perceptions of risk in sunscreens

“…Finally, Lorenz et al (2012) investigated another eight different commercially available silver-textiles during a washing and rinsing cycle. Three of the textiles contained nanosized silver (as labelled or confirmed by the manufacturer), another used a metallic silver wire and four contained silver in undeclared form.…”