VAR Fabric Modification: Inducing Antibacterial Properties, Altering Wettability/Water Repellence, and Understanding Reactivity at the Molecular Level

Abstract

The present work focuses on the surface coating of VAR technical fibers, consisting of 64% viscose (cellulose), 24% Kevlar, 10% other types of polyamides, and 2% antistatic polymers. Kevlar is an aramid material exhibiting excellent mechanical properties, while cellulose is a natural linear polymer composed of repeating β-d-glucose units, having several applications in the materials industry. Herein, we synthesized novel, tailor-designed organic molecules possessing functional groups able to anchor on VAR fabrics and cellulose materials, thus altering their properties on demand. To this end, we utilized methyl-α-d-glucopyranose as a model compound, both to optimize the reaction conditions, before applying them to the material and to understand the chemical behavior of the material at the molecular level. The efficient coating of the VAR fabric with the tailor-made compounds was then implemented. Thorough characterization studies using Raman and IR spectroscopies as well as SEM imaging and thermogravimetric analysis were also carried out. The wettability and water repellency and antibacterial properties of the modified VAR fabrics were also investigated in detail. To the best of our knowledge, such an approach has not been previously explored, among other factors regarding the understanding of the anchoring mechanism at the molecular level. The proposed modification protocol holds the potential to improve the properties of various cellulose-based materials beyond VAR fabrics.