Antimicrobial Reagents as Functional Finishing for Textiles Intended for Biomedical Applications. I. Synthetic Organic Compounds

This article offers an overview of some contemporary antimicrobial agents used as functional finishing for textiles intended for biomedical applications. It reviews only synthetic agents, namely quaternary ammonium compounds, halogenated phenols, polybiguanides, N-halamines, and renewable peroxides. These agents can be divided into several groups according to their mechanism of antimicrobial activity, toxicity, durability and ecological acceptability. Examples of commercial antimicrobial products are presented herein, as well as the corresponding finishing methods.