Proteins as new components for funktionalizing textile surfaces

By application of bacterial surface proteins (S-layer proteins) new options of functionalizing textile surfaces are offered. Based on their intrinsic property to reorganize very regularly on surfaces of different materials even after isolation (depending on basic conditions) the S-layer proteins offer new ways to structure textile surfaces in both nano and micro scale.
Within a R&D project both the application of S-layer proteins on textile surfaces and the subsequent functionalization of these protein coated textile surfaces were investigated. Nonwovens with different chemical composition were coated with S-layer proteins and then

• antimicrobially functionalized with silver nano particles,
• catalytically activated with palladium nano particles,
• hydrophilically functionalized with polyurethane or carboxylic acid based chemicals,
• oleophobically functionalized with fluorocarbons and
• coated with polyurethane.

The results of this work will be presented.