| abstract |
A broad class of antimicrobial fabrics result from graft copolymerization of a functionalized vinyl monomer onto a base fabric followed by reaction of the functional group of the graft copolymer, or some derivative thereof, with another functional group of an antimicrobial reagent with formation of a covalent bond. When electron beam irradiation is used to effect graft copolymerization virtually any organic fabric may be used. The multiplicity of functional groups on the graft copolymer also makes possible reaction with several different antimicrobials to afford a broad spectrum antimicrobial fabric. |