Preparation process of graphene fabric blended antibacterial fabric

Abstract

The invention provides a preparation process of a graphene fabric blended antibacterial fabric. The preparation process comprises the following steps: blending nano graphene powder and polyester chips, and carrying out melt extrusion through double screws to obtain graphene composite chips; carrying out melt spinning on the composite slices to prepare graphene embedded polyester fiber yarns; weaving or knitting the yarns to form a fabric gray fabric, and sequentially performing boiling-off, dyeing, washing and pre-shaping treatment; feeding the pretreated fabric into a spectral irradiation device, and performing uniform irradiation treatment under an infrared-visible light composite wave band condition; then low-temperature drying and shaping finishing are conducted, and the graphene blended antibacterial fabric is prepared. The graphene embedded composite fiber is formed by adding the graphene material in the polyester slicing stage and performing melt spinning, so that graphene is uniformly distributed in the internal structure of the fiber, and the antibacterial function does not depend on a fabric surface finishing layer, so that the stable antibacterial performance can still be kept under the condition of repeated washing or long-term use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of textile fabric production technology, and in particular to a preparation process for a graphene-blended antibacterial fabric. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of textile fabric technology, antibacterial properties are often introduced into fabrics to improve their hygiene and safety. Currently, common antibacterial fabrics are mainly achieved through chemical antibacterial finishing agents, with silver ion antibacterial technology being a relatively common solution. This type of technology generally involves introducing silver ion-based antibacterial agents onto the surface of fibers or fabrics, causing them to release antibacterial active substances during use, thereby inhibiting bacterial growth.

[0003] However, the above-mentioned antibacterial finishing methods usually rely on the adhesion of antibacterial components to the fabric surface. Antibacterial components are prone to migration or shedding during long-term use or repeated washing, resulting in a gradual decrease in antibacterial performance and difficulty in achieving a stable and long-lasting antibacterial effect. At the same time, the compatibility of some antibacterial auxiliaries in the dyeing and finishing system is relatively complex, which may affect the stability of fabric processing.

[0004] In recent years, graphene has been explored for application in antibacterial textile materials due to its certain physical antibacterial properties. Currently, graphene is mainly introduced into fabrics through graphene yarn weaving or graphene coating printing. However, the former has limitations in terms of fiber material and processing compatibility, while the latter often distributes graphene on the fabric surface, making it difficult to form a stable structure within the fibers, thus affecting the stability and uniformity of the antibacterial effect.

[0005] To this end, a preparation process for graphene-blended antibacterial fabrics is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, the present invention provides a preparation process for graphene-blended antibacterial fabric to solve or alleviate the technical problems existing in the prior art, and at least provides a beneficial alternative.

[0007] The technical solution of this invention is achieved as follows: a preparation process for a graphene-blend antibacterial fabric includes the following steps:

[0008] Step S1: Preparation of graphene-polyester composite chips:

[0009] Clean polyester chips specifically designed for textiles are selected as the matrix raw material. The polyester chips are first pre-treated by drying to remove moisture, dust, and mechanical impurities, preventing agglomeration and fiber breakage during subsequent processing. Nano-graphene powder is added to the pre-treated polyester chips according to a preset weight ratio. A high-speed mixing device is used to fully blend and disperse the two raw materials, ensuring that the graphene powder is evenly distributed in the gaps between the polyester chips without localized agglomeration or stratification. The blended mixture is then fed into a twin-screw extruder, undergoing melting, extrusion, and pelletizing processes to complete melt-blended granulation. Finally, polyester composite chips with uniformly dispersed graphene are obtained, laying the raw material foundation for subsequent spinning and ensuring the uniform distribution of graphene in the fiber from the source.

[0010] Step S2: Preparation of graphene-embedded blended yarn:

[0011] The graphene-polyester composite chips obtained from S1 undergo secondary drying and dehydration to completely remove residual moisture from the chips, preventing air bubbles and fiber breakage during spinning. The dried composite chips are then fed into specialized melt spinning equipment, where they sequentially complete the entire spinning process, including melt plasticizing, screw extrusion, spinning formation, drafting and orientation, heat setting, and winding. By precisely controlling parameters such as spinning temperature, draft ratio, and winding speed, graphene-embedded polyester fiber yarn is produced. This step, through chip spinning, directly embeds graphene into the internal structure of the polyester fiber, rather than merely attaching it to the fiber surface. This gives the yarn basic antibacterial properties while retaining the original physical and mechanical properties of the polyester fiber, making it suitable for various weaving processes.

[0012] Step S3, Fabric weaving and pretreatment:

[0013] Graphene-polyester blended yarns prepared using S2 are woven using any of the following methods—plain weave, twill weave, or knitted weft knitting—according to the actual fabric application requirements, to produce a greige fabric. The greige fabric undergoes a series of pretreatment processes, including scouring, dyeing, washing, and pre-setting. The scouring process removes residual sizing agents and oil stains from the fabric weaving process. The dyeing process uses disperse dyes for high-temperature dyeing to ensure uniform coloring of the fabric. Subsequent rinsing with room-temperature water thoroughly removes any floating dye and residual dye. Finally, pre-setting optimizes the fabric's smoothness and structural stability, resulting in a pre-treated fabric free of impurities and floating dye, preparing it for subsequent spectral irradiation enhancement.

[0014] Step S4, Spectral Irradiation for Antibacterial Enhancement:

[0015] The pre-treated fabric is fed into a specialized spectral irradiation treatment device, where it is uniformly irradiated from all directions using an infrared-visible composite wavelength spectrum. The irradiation wavelength, transmission speed, chamber temperature, and irradiation time are strictly controlled. The fabric passes through the irradiation chamber at a uniform speed via a conveyor belt mechanism, ensuring uniform illumination throughout the fabric without any localized irradiation dead zones. This step utilizes the spectral energy coupling effect to gently promote the activation of the graphene microstructure within the fiber, accelerating energy transfer within the graphene. Without damaging the original properties of the polyester fiber, this effectively improves the antibacterial activity and efficiency of graphene in the fiber, elevating the basic antibacterial effect of the yarn to a high-efficiency antibacterial standard. This is the core innovation that distinguishes this invention from existing graphene antibacterial fabrics.

[0016] Step S5: Low-temperature drying and shaping:

[0017] The fabric that has undergone spectral irradiation enhancement treatment is then dried and set at low temperature. The setting temperature, drying time and setting pressure are precisely controlled. The low-temperature process avoids the loss of graphene antibacterial activity caused by the high temperature environment, while ensuring that the fabric is dimensionally stable, soft to the touch, and free from stiffness or deformation. The final product is a graphene blended antibacterial fabric with long-lasting and highly effective antibacterial properties.

[0018] The embodiments of the present invention have the following advantages due to the adoption of the above technical solutions:

[0019] I. This invention incorporates graphene material into polyester chips and forms graphene-embedded composite fibers through melt spinning. This allows graphene to be evenly distributed within the fiber's internal structure, and the antibacterial function does not depend on the fabric's surface finishing layer. As a result, the antibacterial performance remains stable even after multiple washes or long-term use, effectively improving the stability and durability of the fabric's antibacterial function.

[0020] Second, this invention uses infrared-visible light composite irradiation to enable the graphene material inside the fiber to obtain a stable energy coupling state, thereby improving the antibacterial efficiency of graphene in the fiber structure and making the overall antibacterial performance of the fabric more uniform and stable. At the same time, the resulting graphene polyester composite yarn is suitable for conventional machine or knitting processes and is compatible with conventional dyeing and finishing processes, exhibiting good textile processing adaptability and facilitating the large-scale production and application of antibacterial fabrics.

[0021] The above overview is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features of the invention will become readily apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the process steps of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0024] In the following description, only certain exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As those skilled in the art will recognize, the described embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the drawings and description are considered to be exemplary in nature and not restrictive.

[0025] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown in the figure, an embodiment of the present invention provides a preparation process for a graphene-blended antibacterial fabric, comprising the following steps:

[0027] S1. Select polyester chips for textiles, and after drying and impurity removal pretreatment, add nano-graphene powder according to the preset weight ratio, and uniformly blend and disperse them through a high-speed mixing device, and then granulate them by twin-screw melt extrusion to obtain polyester composite chips with uniformly dispersed graphene.

[0028] S2. After the graphene-polyester composite slices are dried and dehydrated twice, they are fed into a melt spinning equipment. Through melting, screw extrusion, spinning, stretching and orientation, heat setting and winding processes, graphene embedded polyester fiber yarn is obtained, so that the graphene is evenly distributed in the internal structure of the fiber to form a composite fiber with antibacterial function.

[0029] S3. Graphene polyester yarn is used to weave or knit fabric to prepare greige fabric, and the greige fabric is subjected to boiling, dyeing, washing and pre-setting treatment in sequence to remove sizing and impurities and obtain a pre-treated fabric with stable structure.

[0030] S4. The pre-treated fabric is sent into a spectral irradiation treatment device to be uniformly irradiated under infrared-visible light composite band conditions. The activation of graphene microstructure and energy transfer inside the fiber are promoted through spectral energy coupling, thereby improving the antibacterial activity and efficiency of graphene in the fiber.

[0031] S5. The fabric treated with spectral irradiation is dried and shaped at low temperature to obtain a graphene blended antibacterial fabric with long-lasting antibacterial properties.

[0032] Example 1: Graphene antibacterial knitted fabric for underwear

[0033] This embodiment addresses the need for soft, skin-friendly, and highly antibacterial fabrics for intimate apparel. The preparation process steps are as follows:

[0034] S1. Preparation of graphene-polyester composite chips: 100 kg of textile-grade clean polyester chips were selected and dried with hot air at 80℃ for 4 hours to remove moisture and dust; 2 kg of multilayer nano-graphene powder (≤8 layers, nano-sized particle size) was added and put into a high-speed mixer, and stirred at 1000 r / min for 30 min to ensure that the graphene powder was uniformly dispersed without agglomeration; the mixture was fed into a twin-screw extruder, and the melt extrusion temperature was controlled at 280℃. After melting, extrusion, and pelletizing, graphene-polyester composite chips were obtained.

[0035] S2. Preparation of graphene-embedded blended yarn: The above composite slices are dried and dehydrated twice at a temperature of 85℃ for 3 hours; then fed into a melt spinning device, with the temperature of the melt spinning section controlled at 290℃, the spinning draw ratio at 3.0 times, and the winding speed adapted to the conventional polyester knitting yarn process. After spinning, drawing and orientation, heat setting, and winding, 40S graphene-embedded polyester blended yarn for knitting is obtained, with graphene evenly distributed inside the fiber.

[0036] S3. Fabric weaving and pretreatment: The above-mentioned blended yarn is used to weave the underwear fabric by knitting weft knitting. The fabric is then boiled, dyed, washed and pre-shaped in sequence. Disperse dyes are used for dyeing at a temperature of 120℃. After dyeing, the fabric is repeatedly rinsed with room temperature water to remove floating color and residual dye. After drying, the pretreated fabric is obtained with a moisture content controlled within 10%.

[0037] S4. Spectral Irradiation Antibacterial Enhancement: The pre-treated fabric is sent into a special spectral irradiation device, which uses infrared-visible light composite spectrum with a wavelength range of 500~2500nm. The fabric conveyor speed is controlled at 1.0m / min, the internal temperature of the irradiation chamber is 50℃, and continuous irradiation is carried out for 20min to ensure that the fabric is uniformly illuminated without any dead spots.

[0038] S5. Low-temperature drying and setting: The irradiated fabric is subjected to low-temperature setting and finishing at a setting temperature of 130℃, a drying time of 8 minutes, and a setting pressure of 0.3MPa to obtain the finished antibacterial fabric for underwear.

[0039] Performance test results: In the unwashed state, the antibacterial rate against Staphylococcus aureus is 98.5%, against Escherichia coli is 97.8%, and against Candida albicans is 93.2%. After 30 home washes, the antibacterial rate against Staphylococcus aureus is 97.1%, against Escherichia coli is 96.3%, and against Candida albicans is 91.8%. After 50 home washes, the antibacterial rate against Staphylococcus aureus is 96.2%, against Escherichia coli is 95.8%, and against Candida albicans is 90.5%. All meet the high-efficiency antibacterial standard. The fabric is soft to the touch and non-irritating to the skin.

[0040] Example 2: Graphene antibacterial woven fabric for home textiles / medical protective use

[0041] This embodiment addresses the needs of home textiles and medical fabrics for wear resistance, high antibacterial stability, and long-lasting durability. The preparation process steps are as follows:

[0042] S1. Preparation of graphene-polyester composite chips: 100 kg of textile-grade polyester chips were selected, dried at 80℃ for 4 h to remove impurities, and 3 kg of multilayer nano-graphene powder (layer number ≤ 10 layers) was added. The high-speed mixer was used at a speed of 1100 r / min for 35 min. The twin-screw melt extrusion temperature was 285℃. The chips were then blended and granulated to obtain uniform composite chips.

[0043] S2. Preparation of graphene-embedded blended yarn: After the composite slices are dried twice, the temperature of the melt spinning section is 300℃ and the spinning draw ratio is 3.2 times. The yarn is wound according to the weaving yarn process parameters to obtain a graphene-polyester blended yarn for weaving. The yarn strength meets the standard and is suitable for weaving.

[0044] S3. Fabric weaving and pretreatment: The greige fabric is made by twill weaving, boiled to remove sizing oil stains, dyed with disperse dyes at 125℃, rinsed with clean water at room temperature to remove impurities, and pre-shaped to obtain the pretreated fabric with a moisture content ≤10%.

[0045] S4. Spectral Irradiation Antibacterial Enhancement: Infrared-visible composite spectral irradiation, wavelength 500~2500nm, fabric transmission speed 0.8m / min, irradiation chamber temperature 55℃, irradiation time 25min, fully activating the graphene microstructure inside the fiber.

[0046] S5. Low-temperature drying and setting: Setting temperature 135℃, drying time 9min, setting pressure 0.35MPa, to obtain finished home textile / medical antibacterial fabric.

[0047] Performance test results: After 50 household washes, the antibacterial rate against Staphylococcus aureus was 97.1%, against Escherichia coli was 96.5%, and against Candida albicans was 92.0%. The fabric is dimensionally stable, wear-resistant and durable, and its antibacterial performance showed no significant decline, meeting the hygiene standards for home textiles and medical protective fabrics.

[0048] Example 3: Graphene antibacterial quick-drying fabric for sportswear

[0049] This embodiment addresses the needs of sports fabrics for quick-drying, odor-removing, and highly effective antibacterial properties. The preparation process steps are as follows:

[0050] S1. Preparation of graphene-polyester composite chips: 100 kg of polyester chips were dried and impurities were removed. Then, 1.5 kg of nano-graphene powder was added. The chips were mixed at a high speed of 900 r / min for 25 min. The chips were extruded at a twin-screw extrusion temperature of 275℃ and granulated to obtain composite chips.

[0051] S2. Preparation of graphene-embedded blended yarn: Spinning temperature 285℃, draw ratio 2.8 times, to obtain fine denier graphene-polyester blended yarn, which takes into account both quick-drying and antibacterial properties.

[0052] S3. Fabric weaving and pretreatment: Plain weave greige fabric, dyed with disperse dyes at 115℃, rinsed with clean water and pre-shaped, with moisture content controlled at 8%~10%;

[0053] S4. Spectral irradiation antibacterial enhancement: spectral wavelength 500~2500nm, transmission speed 1.2m / min, cavity temperature 45℃, irradiation 18min;

[0054] S5. Low-temperature drying and setting: Setting temperature 125℃, drying time 6min, setting pressure 0.25MPa, to obtain sports antibacterial quick-drying fabric.

[0055] Performance test results: After 50 washes, the antibacterial rate of Staphylococcus aureus was 95.6%, the antibacterial rate of Escherichia coli was 95.2%, and the antibacterial rate of Candida albicans was 90.1%. It also has excellent odor adsorption and decomposition capabilities, making it suitable for long-term use in sports scenarios.

[0056] Comparative example (existing conventional graphene-coated fabric)

[0057] Fabrics were prepared using a conventional graphene coating process, in which graphene coating was directly applied to the surface of ordinary polyester fabric. After drying and setting, the performance was tested: the antibacterial rate was about 85%~90% before washing, but dropped to below 60% after 10 washes, and had virtually no antibacterial effect after 50 washes. In addition, the fabric felt stiff and was prone to coating peeling and uneven antibacterial properties. The comparison highlights the long-term and high-efficiency advantages of the process of this invention.

[0058] The antibacterial performance test of this invention is performed in accordance with GB / T20944.3-2008 "Evaluation of antibacterial properties of textiles - Part 3: Vibration method". The water washing test adopts the standard household water washing procedure, using neutral conventional detergent, and air drying after washing. Repeated tests are conducted to ensure the authenticity and validity of the data.

[0059] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various variations or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention, and these should all be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A preparation process for a graphene-blend antibacterial fabric, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Select polyester chips for textiles, and after drying and impurity removal pretreatment, add nano-graphene powder according to the preset weight ratio, and uniformly blend and disperse them through a high-speed mixing device, and then granulate them by twin-screw melt extrusion to obtain polyester composite chips with uniformly dispersed graphene. S2. After the graphene-polyester composite slices are dried and dehydrated twice, they are fed into a melt spinning equipment. Through melting, screw extrusion, spinning, stretching and orientation, heat setting and winding processes, graphene embedded polyester fiber yarn is obtained, so that graphene is evenly distributed in the internal structure of the fiber to form a composite fiber with antibacterial function. S3. The graphene polyester yarn is used to weave or knit fabric to prepare a fabric greige, and the greige is subjected to boiling, dyeing, washing and pre-setting treatment in sequence to remove sizing and impurities and obtain a pre-treated fabric with stable structure. S4. The pretreated fabric is sent into a spectral irradiation treatment device, and the fabric is uniformly irradiated under infrared-visible light composite band conditions. The activation of graphene microstructure and energy transfer inside the fiber are promoted through spectral energy coupling, thereby improving the antibacterial activity and efficiency of graphene in the fiber. S5. The fabric treated with spectral irradiation is dried and shaped at low temperature to obtain a graphene blended antibacterial fabric with long-lasting antibacterial properties.

2. The preparation process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The nano-graphene powder mentioned in step S1 is a multilayer graphene material with no more than 10 layers and a particle size in the nanometer range. The weight ratio of graphene powder to polyester chips is 1% to 5%.

3. The preparation process according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S1, the co-mixing is completed using a high-speed mixer with a mixing speed of 800-1200 r / min and a mixing time of 20-40 min. The twin-screw melt extrusion temperature is controlled at 270-290℃.

4. The preparation process according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S2, the temperature of the melt spinning section is controlled at 260-310℃, the spinning draw ratio is 2.5-3.5 times, and the winding speed is controlled according to the conventional polyester spinning process parameters.

5. The preparation process according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S3, the fabric weaving method is selected from any one of plain weave, twill weave, or knitted weft structure.

6. The preparation process according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S3, the dyeing process uses disperse dyes for high-temperature dyeing treatment at a temperature of 110–130°C. After dyeing, the dyes are rinsed with clean water to remove floating color and residual dye.

7. The preparation process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spectral irradiation mentioned in step S4 is infrared-visible composite spectral irradiation, with an irradiation wavelength range of 500–2500 nm.

8. The preparation process according to claim 7, characterized in that: In step S4, during the spectral irradiation process, the fabric passes through the irradiation chamber at a uniform speed via a conveyor belt, with a transmission speed of 0.5–1.5 m / min. The internal temperature of the irradiation chamber is controlled at 40–60°C, and the irradiation time is 15–30 min.

9. The preparation process according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S5, the low-temperature setting temperature is 120–140°C, the drying time is 5–10 min, and the setting pressure is 0.2–0.4 MPa.

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