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

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 ß-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.

Kevlar®, Nomex®, and VAR Modification by Small Organic Molecules Anchoring: Transfusing Antibacterial Properties and Improving Water Repellency.

The surface modification of fabrics composed of Kevlar®, Nomex®, or VAR was extensively investigated. Kevlar® and Nomex® are widely-utilized aramid materials, whereas VAR is a technical fabric comprising 64% viscose, 24% para-aramid (Kevlar®), 10% polyamide, and 2% antistatic fibers. Both aramid materials and cellulose/viscose exhibit exceptional mechanical properties that render them valuable in a wide range of applications. For the herein studied modification of Kevlar®, Nomex®, and VAR, we used small organic molecules 3-allyl-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (ADMH) and 3-(acrylamidopropyl)trimethylammonium chloride (APTAC), which were anchored onto the materials under study via graft polymerization. By doing so, excellent antibacterial properties were induced in the three studied fabrics. Their water repellency was improved in most cases as well. Extensive characterization studies were conducted to probe the properties of the modified materials, employing Raman and FTIR spectroscopies, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).