• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2006

Interaction of a representative antibiotic, doxycycline(Doxy), with commercial poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) and cationic-dyeable poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PET) fiber was studied in development of infection resistant biomedical materials. Regular PET was also employed for a comparison purpose. Their interactions were investigated at different treatment temperatures, times, and pHs. Fibers were also hydrolyzed by 1% NaOH for 1 or 2 hours at $85^{\circ}C\;and\;100{\circ}C$ to study effect of hydrolysis on antibiotic sorption. Infection-resistant characteristics of the substrates were evaluated by zone of inhibition (ZOI) test. Results revealed that a significant chemical change occurred in PAN and cationic-dyeable PET due to hydrolysis. Additional functional groups obtained by hydrolysis not only enhanced sorption of the antibiotics but also provided greater ZOI values, indicating substantial improvement in sustained infection resistance properties.