Tsinghua Team Develops Safe And Washable Anti-virus Antibacterial Textile Fabrics

Recently, Li Jingye, the chief expert of functional polymer from Tianjin Institute of High-End Equipment of Tsinghua University, led a team to develop an antiviral and antibacterial functional textile fabric that can kill new coronaviruses and other enveloped viruses and various bacteria in a broad spectrum by using electron beam grafting modification technology.

Unlike traditional methods of functional fabric modification, the team used electron beam grafting to complete the antiviral and antibacterial functional treatment, the key to which is the formation of strong covalent bonds between fiber macromolecules and functional molecules.

The polymer chemistry term "grafting modification" is actually borrowed from the concept of "fruit grafting" in horticulture. The grafting technique allows one to combine two different varieties of plants to obtain a new and complementary plant, while the grafting modification is a grafting at the molecular level, using electron beams to cut the cellulose macromolecule and then "arming" several functional molecular branches to the cellulose macromolecule.

The team says its proposed electron beam graft modification technology has three characteristics: safety, durability and broad-spectrum antibacterial.

At present, the team has advanced the electron beam grafting antiviral antibacterial textiles to the stage of fabric functionalization, and the subsequent desire to make the fabric into practical products such as clothes, towels and bed sheets and covers, further cooperation with enterprises for landing and promotion is needed. This process is not easier than the technology development, Tsinghua University Tianjin high-end equipment research institute of the advantages of the integration of industry, academia and research in the research play a big role.