JPH06306705A - Antimicrobial fiber and its production - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the subject fiber capable of keeping high antimicrobial properties also after post processing, post treatment, washing, wearing, etc., by including inorganic fine particles retaining a metallic ion having antimicrobial action and a metal ion transferring agent in a fiber-forming polymer. CONSTITUTION:Inorganic fine particles (zeolite, etc.) retaining a metal ion (silver ion, copper ion, zinc ion, etc.) having antimicrobial action and a metal ion transferring agent are contained in a fiber-forming polymer and the polymer is fiberized. When the fiber-forming polymer is a polyester, the metal ion- transfer agent is preferably a polyester having a molecular weight or a melting point lower than that of the polyester and when the polymer is a polyamide, the agent is preferably a polyamide having a molecular weight or a melting point lower than that of the polyamide.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an antibacterial fiber and a method for producing the same. More specifically, the present invention does not immediately lose antibacterial properties even after post-processing and post-treatment such as dyeing and washing, washing, wearing and using, and can maintain good antibacterial properties for a long period of time. The present invention relates to a fiber and a method for manufacturing the fiber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various bacteria and molds inhabit the human living environment, attach to human bodies, textiles, etc. and propagate, causing various diseases such as skin disorders and Zensoku. It causes deterioration or deterioration of textile products or generation of odor.

In particular, since synthetic fibers have a lower sweat absorption property than natural fibers, when clothes made of synthetic fibers are worn, microorganisms adhere to the sweat-laden skin, clothes, etc. to propagate and rot. It causes a phenomenon and produces a sweaty odor. Therefore, a synthetic fiber having an antibacterial property that does not generate a foul odor, is comfortable, safe, and has a clean feeling has long been required, and various researches and developments have been conventionally performed for that purpose.

Although there have been some times when organotin compounds and organomercury compounds were used for fibers to impart antibacterial properties to the fibers, the toxicity of these compounds became a problem, and most of them were discontinued at present. ing. Further, it has been proposed that a silicone-based quaternary ammonium salt, which is a highly safe antibacterial / antifungal agent, is attached to the fibers by post-treatment to produce an antibacterial / antifungal carpet (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-242242) 57-51874). However, the silicone-based quaternary ammonium salt has reactivity and affinity with cellulosic fibers and exhibits an antibacterial effect with washing durability, but is inferior in reactivity or affinity with synthetic fibers, so The antibacterial effect is only temporary and not durable.

A method for producing fibers by directly mixing a metal compound capable of eluting metal ions such as silver, copper and zinc, which have long been known to have antibacterial properties, directly into a fiber-forming polymer. Has been proposed (JP-A-54-1).
47220). However, in the case of this method, the influence of those metal compounds on the fiber-forming polymer is large, the addition ratio is remarkably limited, the process passability in the fiberizing process is lowered, and especially the single yarn breakage during spinning is caused. In addition, the pack life is shortened due to clogging of the pack filter and frequent occurrence of fluff during stretching. Moreover, in the case of this method in which the metal compound is simply directly blended in the polymer, the antibacterial performance is reduced in a short period of time as the amount of metal ions present on the fiber surface decreases with the passage of time and use. It is remarkably reduced, and good antibacterial action cannot be maintained for a long period of time.

Further, a method has been proposed in which a zeolite having metal ions such as silver and copper held therein is kneaded into a fiber-forming polymer to form a fiber (Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-54013).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-175117), the amount of metal ions present on the fiber surface portion decreases with the passage of time and use, and the antibacterial action also gradually increases with this method. And no durable antibacterial fiber can be obtained.

[0007]

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to improve the durability that can maintain high antibacterial properties even after post-processing and post-treatment such as dyeing and washing, washing, long-term wearing and use. It is to provide an extremely excellent antibacterial fiber and a fiber product made of the same.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above problems, the present inventors have made various investigations in terms of materials such as fiber materials and compounding ingredients, and further in terms of manufacturing methods. As a result, In compounding the inorganic fine particles retaining metal ions into the fiber-forming polymer, it was found that the organic polymer fibers having a durable and durable antibacterial action can be obtained by further using a metal ion transfer agent. . Further, the present inventors, in the fiber-forming organic polymer after the completion of the polymerization, at any stage until the polymer is spun from the spinneret,
It has been found that the above-mentioned durable antibacterial fiber can be produced extremely smoothly and easily by adopting a method of mixing inorganic fine particles retaining metal ions and a metal ion transfer agent and performing spinning.

Therefore, the present invention is an antibacterial fiber characterized by being formed using a fiber-forming polymer containing inorganic fine particles retaining metal ions having an antibacterial action and a metal ion transfer agent. is there.

In the present invention, in the fiber-forming organic polymer after completion of the polymerization, the inorganic fine particles and the metal ions having the metal ions retained at any stage until the polymer is spun from the spinneret. A method for producing an antibacterial fiber, which comprises mixing a transfer agent and performing spinning.

Further, the present invention includes a fiber product produced from the above-mentioned antibacterial organic polymer fiber, and as such a fiber product, a yarn or a cloth, further, clothes, bedding, curtain,
Includes end products such as carpets, wallpaper, bath mats, towels, medical items such as bandages, gauze and masks.

The organic polymer constituting the antibacterial organic polymer fiber of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a fiber-forming organic polymer. Examples of the fiber-forming polymer include fiber-forming polyester, polyamide, polyolefin, vinyl chloride, heat-melting polymers such as vinylidene chloride, and further polyurethane, acrylic polymer, polyvinyl alcohol, and the like. Of these, melt-spinnable heat-meltable polymers such as polyesters, polyamides, and polyolefins are preferable because fibers containing antibacterial metal ion-holding inorganic fine particles can be easily produced by melt-spinning.

In the present invention, the metal ion having an antibacterial property means an ion of a metal such as silver, copper, zinc, lead, chromium, iron, nickel, tin and mercury, and the inorganic fine particles include these metals. Only one kind of ion may be held, or two or more kinds may be held. In particular, in the present invention, it is preferable to use a combination of silver ion and zinc ion because the antibacterial property can be maintained for a long period of time and the coloring of the fiber can be prevented.

The type of the inorganic fine particles for holding the metal ions is not particularly limited, and any one which does not show the deterioration action of the organic polymer fiber can be used, and it has an ion exchange ability and a metal ion adsorption ability and has an antibacterial property. Those having a high metal ion retaining ability are preferable. Examples of such inorganic fine particles include zeolite, zirconium phosphate, calcium phosphate and the like, and among them, zeolite having a high ion exchange capacity is particularly preferable. However, when zeolite is used, it is necessary to heat and dry the zeolite sufficiently to keep the water content low. If the water content of the zeolite is high, the fiber-forming organic polymer such as polyester is pulled. It should be noted that the yarn quality is poor, and even if spinning is possible, the strength of the resulting fiber is significantly reduced. The heat-drying treatment of the zeolite at this time is preferably performed at a temperature of 500 ° C. or higher.

The inorganic fine particles preferably have an average particle size of 0.1 to 3 μ, more preferably 0.3 to 2.3 μ, and particularly preferably 0.5 to 2.0 μ. When the average particle size of the inorganic fine particles is smaller than 0.1 μ, the fine particles easily aggregate when the antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles are dispersed in the metal ion transfer agent,
Moreover, the filter is likely to be clogged during spinning, and fluff is likely to occur during the drawing process. On the other hand, when the average particle size of the inorganic fine particles is larger than 3 μ, the filter is likely to be clogged or broken during spinning, and the processability during spinning tends to be poor.

As the inorganic fine particles retaining the antibacterial metal ions (hereinafter referred to as "antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles"), those which retain the antibacterial metal ions in a higher concentration are preferable. When the fine particles are made of zeolite having an ion exchange capacity, 90% or more, especially 92% or more of the ion exchange capacity thereof is ion-exchanged with the antibacterial metal ion, and the metal ion is a physical particle of the inorganic fine particle. When it is retained by a high adsorption capacity, it is advisable to adsorb the metal ions so that it is 90% or more of the saturated state.

The antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles are usually obtained by impregnating the inorganic fine particles with a solution such as an aqueous solution containing an antibacterial metal ion as described above and then drying. The method for producing the metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles is not particularly limited, and any of the inorganic fine particles retaining the antibacterial metal ions at a high concentration can be used.

The amount of the antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles added is 0.01 to 10 based on the weight of the fiber-forming polymer.
It is preferably made into the weight% and more preferably from 1 to 5% by weight. Depending on the ion exchange capacity or adsorption amount of the antibacterial metal ions in the inorganic fine particles, use is made of inorganic fine particles in which 90% or more of the ion exchange capacity or the metal ion adsorption capacity is ion-exchanged or adsorbed by the antibacterial metal ions. Even in such a case, if the amount of the antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles added is less than 0.01% by weight, it is difficult to impart sufficient antibacterial properties to the fiber, and it becomes difficult to obtain particularly durable antibacterial properties. On the other hand, if it exceeds 10% by weight, the antibacterial performance is sufficient, but the proportion of the inorganic fine particles in the polymer stream during spinning becomes too large, the viscosity of the polymer stream decreases, and the spinning pack becomes clogged. The chemical conversion processability is likely to be lowered, and expensive antibacterial metal ion-holding inorganic fine particles are used in large amounts, which is not economical.

In the present invention, it is necessary to use a metal ion transfer agent together with the antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles. This metal ion transfer agent is for imparting a sustained release property to the fiber, in which the metal ion retained in the inorganic fine particles is gradually transferred from the inside of the fiber to the surface portion to keep the fiber antibacterial over a long period of time. It is a thing. Due to such a sustained release function of the metal ion transfer agent, the fiber of the present invention can maintain long-lasting and high antibacterial property for a long period of time. Further, at this time, the metal ion transfer agent has an action of promoting the transfer of metal ions to the fiber surface and also an action of uniformly dispersing the antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles in the fiber-forming polymer. Is preferred.

From the above points, the inventors of the present invention have conducted experiments to select a more suitable metal ion transfer agent, and as a result, have a high affinity with the base fiber-forming polymer and have a fiber-forming polymer. It has been found that lower molecular weight or lower melting point polymers are suitable as metal ion transfer agents. Therefore, in the present invention, it is preferable to use, as the metal ion transfer agent, a polymer having a high affinity with the base fiber-forming polymer and having a lower molecular weight or a lower melting point than the fiber-forming polymer.

For example, when the fiber-forming polymer is a polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate, it is preferable to use a polyester having a lower molecular weight or a lower melting point as the metal ion transfer agent, and particularly a molecular weight of about 2,500.
Polyester having a melting point of 50 ° C. or lower is preferable. The low molecular weight or low melting point polyester may be of the same or a different type as the base fiber-forming polyester. Specifically, the molecular weight produced from adipic acid and diethylene glycol or adipic acid and butylene glycol is about 1000 to 2500.
More preferred are aliphatic polyester polyols in the range. The viscosity of this polyester polyol is 75
It is preferably 600 to 1000 centipoise at 0 ° C. from the viewpoint of the kneading property with the fiber-forming polyester and the spinnability of the kneaded product.

When the fiber-forming polymer is a polyamide, a polyamide having a lower molecular weight or a lower melting point than that of the polyamide is preferably used as the metal ion transfer agent, preferably having a molecular weight of about 3,000.
A polyamide having a melting point of 50 ° C. or lower or a temperature of 50 ° C. or lower is preferably used, in which case the low molecular weight or low melting point polyamide may be the same as or different from the base fiber-forming polyamide. Further, when the fiber-forming polymer is polypropylene, it is preferable to use an olefin polymer having a lower molecular weight or a lower melting point than that as a metal ion transfer agent, preferably a molecular weight of about 300.
It is preferable to use an olefin polymer such as polypropylene, polyethylene, propylene-ethylene copolymer, or polybutene having a melting point of 0 or less or 50 ° C. or less.

It is not clear why a low molecular weight or low melting point polymer having an affinity for the fiber-forming polymer is suitable as the metal ion transfer agent, but the metal ions inside the fiber retained by the inorganic fine particles have a low molecular weight or a low molecular weight. It is presumed that a relatively loose phase composed of a melting point polymer gradually migrates to the fiber surface in the medium.

The proportion of the metal ion-transfer agent used may vary depending on the type of the fiber-forming polymer serving as the base and the type of the metal ion-transfer agent, but it is generally based on the weight of the fiber-forming polymer. , 0.5 to 10% by weight, and more preferably 1 to 6% by weight. If the amount of the metal ion transfer agent used is less than 0.5% by weight, it will be difficult to sufficiently exert the effect of sustained release of metal ions inside the fiber. The processability is deteriorated, yarn breakage and fluffing are likely to occur, and the physical properties such as strength of the obtained fiber are deteriorated.

As a method for adding the antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles and the metal ion transfer agent to the fiber-forming polymer, considering the influence of those components during the polymerization reaction (polycondensation reaction), the polymerization (polymerization It is preferable to add it to the fiber-forming polymer after the completion of the condensation reaction). Therefore, in the present invention, the antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles and the metal ion transfer agent are used to produce pellets and chips from the polymerized fiber-forming polymer immediately after the polymerization of the fiber-forming polymer (polycondensation reaction). During melt kneading, polymer powder, pellets, when performing spinning using chips, etc., a method of adding the polymer at any stage until spinning from the spinneret, etc. can be adopted. In the present invention, it is preferably added to the molten polymer during spinning.

The antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles and the metal ion transfer agent may be added individually or simultaneously or sequentially to the fiber-forming polymer, but the antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles and the metal ion transfer agent may be added. It is preferable that the agent and the agent are mixed in advance by using an appropriate mixing and dispersing device such as a vibration mill or a pearl mill to prepare a slurry in which both are uniformly mixed. In particular, when the above polyester polyol is used as the metal transfer agent, it is preferable to select the addition amount of the inorganic fine particles and the degree of polymerization of the polyester polyol so that the viscosity of the slurry becomes 40,000 to 80,000 centipoise at 25 ° C. If it deviates from this range, it becomes difficult to uniformly disperse the slurry in the fiber-forming polyester, and spinning stability deteriorates. Further, the water content of the slurry is 0.15% by weight or less, and particularly, 0.1.
From the standpoint of spinning stability and prevention of coloration, it is preferably 1% by weight or less.

Further, in the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles and metal ion transfer agent, an ultraviolet absorber, an antioxidant, and a lubricant which are usually used in organic polymer fibers are also used, if necessary. Other additives such as flame retardants, plasticizers, dyes and pigments may be used.

The fiberizing method and fiberizing conditions for obtaining the antibacterial fiber of the present invention may be any conventionally known fiberizing method using a fiber-forming polymer and is not particularly limited.
Particularly in the present invention, it is preferable to produce fibers by melt spinning using a thermoplastic fiber-forming polymer. Further, the fiber of the present invention can be subjected to various processes such as crimping, entanglement, mixed fiber, fluid disturbance process, dyeing and the like, if necessary.

The antibacterial fiber of the present invention may be a single fiber composed of one kind of fiber-forming polymer, or a composite fiber using two or more kinds of fiber-forming polymer. Any of these may be used, and in the case of the composite fiber, any of a core-sheath type, a sea-island type, a laminating type, a random composite type and the like may be used. In the case of a composite fiber, it is necessary that the polymer layer containing the antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles is provided on the fiber surface to some extent in order to impart antibacterial property to the fiber. In addition to the round cross section, the cross-sectional shape of the fiber includes a flat cross section, a dogbone cross section, a T-shaped cross section, a V-shaped cross section, a 3 to 6 hexagonal cross section,
The cross-section may be any cross-sectional shape such as a 3- to 14-lobed cross section, a modified cross section such as a hollow cross section, and is not particularly limited.

The antibacterial fiber of the present invention is effective against various fungi, for example, black mold, blue mold, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Salmonella, Trichophyton, Klebsiella pneumoniae, MRSA, etc. Can be used effectively against. The thickness of the antibacterial fiber of the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be a thickness suitable for each application, and may be any shape such as filament shape or staple shape, and its shape is not particularly limited. . Furthermore, from the antibacterial fiber of the present invention, filament yarn, spun yarn, woven and knitted fabrics, non-woven fabrics and the like can be produced, and these can be garments such as outerwear, underwear, nemaki, belly rolls, work clothes and aprons. , Insoles, socks, carpet, yarn for mops, futons,
Futon cover, macula cover, bed, bed cover,
Blankets, sheets, bath mats, towels, cabinet towels, table cloths, curtains, shower curtains, nets, doorknob covers, wallpaper, lab coats, surgical threads, surgical clothes, hospital clothes, bandages, patch base cloths, hats, gauze, masks. ,
Used for various products such as floor rub prevention mat, diaper cover, diaper, medical chart paper, slippers, tissue paper, wet tissue, toothbrush, gloves, various wipers, filters for air conditioners, air purifiers and water purifiers, food containers, etc. It is possible to give durable and good antibacterial properties to these products.

[0031]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the following Examples and Comparative Examples, the intrinsic viscosity of polyesters and polyester polyols was measured, and the antibacterial properties of raw cotton and blended woven fabrics obtained therefrom were tested as follows.

The intrinsic viscosity measurement phenol and tetrachloroethane (1: 1) mixed solvent, 3
It was measured at 0 ° C.

Antibacterial property test of raw cotton Using the polyester fiber obtained in Example 1 or Comparative Example 1 as raw cotton as it is, in accordance with the shake flask method defined by the Textile Products Sanitation Council, pneumonia as a test bacterium Using bacilli, the sterilization rate was calculated by the following mathematical formula 1.

[0034]

[Equation 1] Sterilization rate (%) = {(N ₀ −N ₁ ) / N ₀ } × 100 In the formula, N ₀ = the number of Klebsiella pneumoniae applied to the raw cotton N ₁ = in the raw cotton at the end of the antibacterial test Number of surviving Klebsiella pneumoniae

Antibacterial property test of mixed-spun woven fabrics The mixed-spun woven fabrics of polyester fibers obtained in the respective examples or comparative examples are dyed under the conditions shown in the following Table 1 by two-bath dyeing (dispersion / reaction). Then, it was washed with water to obtain a dyed cloth.

[0036]

[Table 1] Dyeing conditions 1. Disperse dye dyeing (polyester side) CIDisperse Red 88 Reduction cleaning NaOH 1 g / l 60 minutes at 130 ° C Na ₂ S ₂ O ₄ 1 g / l 2. Reactive dye dyeing (cotton side) CIReactive Red 223 2% Na ₂ SO ₄ 50 g / l Na ₂ CO ₃ 10 g / l 60 ° C. for 60 minutes

The dyed cloth obtained above is 50 cm long and 30 c wide.
Cut into m size, put in a washing machine containing 40 liters of water at a temperature of 40 ° C., add 80 g of neutral detergent, and add 5
After washing for 3 minutes, rinsing was performed 3 times, dehydration and drying.
After repeating this washing operation 10 times, the antibacterial property test of the cloth was conducted in the same manner as in the case of the raw cotton, and the sterilization rate was obtained by the above-mentioned formula 1.

Example 1 (1) After the zeolite was ion-exchanged with a mixed ion of silver and zinc (silver: zinc = 5: 14 by weight) (ion exchange rate 92%), the average particle size was changed to 1.6 μm. Finely pulverized to obtain zeolite particles. This was dried at 500 ° C. and used as antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles. (2) By reacting adipic acid and diethylene glycol, a polyester polyol having a molecular weight of 2500 [viscosity 8
50 centipoise (75 ° C.)] was prepared and used as a metal ion transfer agent. (3) 65 parts by weight of the metal ion transfer agent produced in (2) above and 35 parts by weight of the antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles produced in (1) above are uniformly mixed at a temperature of 60 to 70 ° C. to obtain a mixture of both. A slurry was prepared. The viscosity of this mixture slurry was 47,000 centipoise at 25 ° C.

(4) 100 parts by weight of terephthalic acid, 60 parts by weight of ethylene glycol, 0.04 antimony trioxide
Parts by weight and 2 parts by weight of titanium dioxide having an average particle size of 0.5μ are charged into an esterification reaction tank, the esterification reaction is performed while gradually increasing the temperature from 160 ° C to 240 ° C, and then under reduced pressure in the polycondensation reaction tank. The temperature was raised to 280 ° C. to cause a polycondensation reaction to produce a polyester having an intrinsic viscosity [η] of 0.75. (5) When melt-spinning using the polyester produced in the above (4), an additive charging line is provided between the polyester measuring device and the spinneret, and the additive charging line is used to feed the additive to the above (3). The mixture of the antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles and the metal ion transfer agent prepared in 1) is added so that the content of the antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles in the polyester is 2% by weight, and the spinning temperature is 280 ° C.
Spinning was performed at a take-up speed of 1000 m / min. The obtained polyester tow was stretched, crimped, heat-treated and cut by a conventional method to obtain a raw cotton having a single fiber fineness of 1.4 denier and a length of 38 mm. When the antibacterial property of this raw cotton was examined by the above-mentioned method, it was as shown in Table 2 below.

Example 2 The polyester raw cotton obtained in (5) of Example 1 and cotton were mixed and spun at a weight ratio of 2: 8 to produce a mixed yarn by a conventional method, and this mixed yarn is a warp yarn. A plain woven fabric was produced by using the fabric and the weft. Dyeing +10
After repeated washing, the antibacterial property of this woven fabric was examined by the method described above, and the results shown in Table 2 were obtained.

Example 3 The polyester raw cotton obtained in (5) of Example 1 and cotton were mixed and spun at a weight ratio of 4: 6 to produce a mixed yarn by a conventional method, and this mixed yarn is a warp yarn. A plain woven fabric was produced by using the fabric and the weft. Dyeing +10
After repeated washing, the antibacterial property of this woven fabric was examined by the method described above, and the results shown in Table 2 were obtained.

Comparative Example 1 When melt spinning was carried out using the polyester produced in (4) of Example 1, it was carried out from the additive preparation line provided between the polyester measuring device and the spinneret. The antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles produced in (1) of Example 1 was added alone (without a metal ion transfer agent) so that the content of the antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles in the polyester was 2% by weight, Otherwise in the same manner as in (5) of Example 1, a raw cotton having a single fiber fineness of 1.4 denier and a length of 38 mm was produced. When the antibacterial property of this raw cotton was examined by the above-mentioned method, it was as shown in Table 2 below.

Comparative Example 2 The polyester raw cotton obtained in Comparative Example 1 and cotton were mixed and spun at a weight ratio of 2: 8 to produce a mixed yarn by a conventional method, and this mixed yarn was used as a warp yarn and a weft yarn. A plain weave fabric was produced using After the dyeing + 10 times of washing, the antibacterial property of this woven fabric was examined by the above-mentioned method, and the results shown in Table 2 were obtained.

Comparative Example 3 The polyester raw cotton obtained in Comparative Example 1 and cotton were mixed and spun at a weight ratio of 4: 6 to produce a mixed yarn by a conventional method, and this mixed yarn was used as a warp yarn and a weft yarn. A plain weave fabric was produced using After the dyeing + 10 times of washing, the antibacterial property of this woven fabric was examined by the above-mentioned method, and the results shown in Table 2 were obtained.

[0045]

[Table 2]

From the results of Examples 1 to 3 in Table 2 above, when the metal ion transfer agent was used together with the antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles, the initial antibacterial property of the fiber was high, and further, the dyeing or washing was not performed. It can be seen that the antibacterial property is maintained well over a long period of time even after post-treatment and the like, and an excellent sustained release effect of the antibacterial agent is exhibited. On the other hand, Comparative Example 1
From the results of 3 to 3, in the case of Comparative Examples 1 to 3 in which the metal ion transfer agent is not used, the initial antibacterial property is lower than that of Example 1,
Moreover, it can be seen that the antibacterial property is significantly reduced after post-treatment such as dyeing and washing.

[0047]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The antibacterial fiber of the present invention which uses a metal ion transfer agent together with the antibacterial metal ion-retaining inorganic fine particles and the fiber product obtained therefrom have high initial antibacterial properties and further have a post-treatment such as dyeing. It does not lose its antibacterial properties immediately after being washed, worn, used, etc., and gradually transfers antibacterial metal ions from the inside of the fiber to the surface part, which is highly durable over a long period of time. The antibacterial property can be maintained.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Shunichi Hasegawa 7471 Tamashima Otoshima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture Kuraray Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An antibacterial fiber, which is formed by using a fiber-forming polymer containing inorganic fine particles retaining metal ions having an antibacterial action and a metal ion transfer agent. 2. The fiber-forming organic polymer after the completion of the polymerization is mixed with the inorganic fine particles retaining the metal ion and the metal ion transfer agent at any stage until the polymer is spun from the spinneret. A method for producing an antibacterial fiber, characterized by comprising spinning. 3. A fiber product produced from the antibacterial fiber of claim 1.