Characterization of PET-Silver Nanocomposite Filaments
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber is a very versatile fiber that can be produced with different properties, such as antimicrobial activity. This study aims to synthesize antimicrobial PET filaments incorporated with silver nanoparticles immobilized in silica (NPAg-Si) by bulk additive method. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) characterized the obtained filaments at concentrations (w/w) of 0.008%, 0.016%, 0.032%, 0.047% and 0.063% NPAg-Si, in order to identify the nanoparticles and analyze their dispersion in the polymeric matrix. Moreover, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carry out to confirm the presence and concentration of the silver nanoparticles in the filaments as well as the thermal stability of the nanocomposites. The bulk addition method was efficient to produce PET-Silver filaments with silver nanoparticles homogeneously dispersed in the PET matrix.