Immobilization of functional biomolecules onto polypropylene fabric using plasma pre-treatment

Abstract

In order to realize the immobilization of collagen, chitosan and sericin on the surface of polypropylene fabric, the fabric is treated by ammonia and nitrogen low temperature plasma to produce reactive groups, and then the epoxy compounds (ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether) are used as crosslinkers for a bridging process. Single factor experiment is carried out to investigate the influence of crosslinking parameters (temperature, time and the dosage of crosslinker) on immobilization yield. Chemical composition changes on the surface of the treated samples is analyzed by infrared spectroscopy, which indicated that the ammonia plasma treatment can produce more active groups. The results showed that immobilization rate of samples crosslinked by ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether is superior to that of trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether. It also can be found that the fabric had a better wettability and antimicrobial properties. The whiteness and comfort property of chitosan-polypropylene fabric decreased slightly.