Microbial and fungal attacks damage natural fiber fabrics, and fabrics used in hospitals to protect against contamination can act as vectors for healthcare-associated infections (HAI), or nosocomial infections. Antimicrobial and antifungal textiles are required to protect against these biohazards and meet consumer demand for sanitary products. These are worldwide health and economic issues in both developed and developing countries, especially for immunocompromised patients in intensive care units (ICUs) and surgical site hospital areas.
Natural fibers prevent bacterial and fungal growth, which is seen as a major advantage in these applications, and many natural fibers are thought to have antibacterial and antifungal activity against a wide variety of pathogenic bacteria. Furthermore, these fibers have been reported to be biocompatible and biodegradable, essential features of biomedical materials that can avoid complications due to infection and significant immune responses. Thus, tissue engineering, medical textiles, orthopedic and dental implants, and cosmetics are currently expanding fields of application for plant fibers. The antimicrobial and antifungal activity of natural fibers is applicable not only in medications but also in a variety of commodities, such as packaging and cosmetics, that we use in our daily lives. The antibacterial activity of natural fibers can open up new avenues for innovation. In order to discuss the importance of this field, we welcome authors to submit papers to this Article Collection with the following potential topics but are not limited to:
- Antimicrobial and antifungal natural fibers
- Phytochemical analysis of bioactive agents in natural fibers
- Antimicrobial and antifungal properties of natural fibers
- Methods/techniques to determine antimicrobial and antifungal properties of various natural fibers
- Research on antimicrobial/antibacterial/antifungal behavior of natural fibers
- Potential applications of antimicrobial and antifungal natural fibers
- Antimicrobial and antifungal properties of natural fiber resources
- Development of antimicrobial and antifungal textiles from natural fibers for various applications
All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisors for this collection will not be handling the manuscripts. Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.
The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 10th November 2023.
Please contact Xin Dai at [email protected] with any queries regarding this Article Collection.
Article Collection Guest Advisors
Prof. Babu has over 30 years of teaching and research experience in textile technology and textile chemistry. He has over 100 research papers and four textbooks on silk, bamboo fibers, and printing to his credit. He is a recognized expert in processing natural fibers and their applications in various fields.
Dr. Vhanbatte has over 16 years of teaching experience and over 10 years of industry/research experience in the field of textile chemistry. His research interests include the chemistry of dyes and pigments, textile chemical processing, wastewater treatment, composite and coated textiles, and sustainable textiles.
Prof. Dinesh has over 25 years of teaching experience in the field of textile technology. He has over 15 research papers published in peer-reviewed national and international journals. His research expertise includes natural and synthetic fiber processing, fiber structure-property relationships, bio-composites, and statistical quality control in textiles.
Dr. Narayana is currently working as a Research Scientist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He is also a board member of the Canadian Institute of Textile Science. His research focuses on smart polymer materials, soft sensors, and energy-harvesting textiles for health/wellness/sports applications.
Prof. Kozłowski graduated from A. Mickiewicz University, Poland (chemical faculty, applied chemistry). He served as Director for scientific research of the governmental Institute of Natural Fibres, Poznań, Poland (1976 – 1987, and 2016 – 2017) and Director General of this Institute (1987 – 2008), with over 300 publications in the field of natural fibers. He is also the editor of the Handbook of Natural Fibres, 2 volumes (2012), Woodhead Publishing, UK and is currently the editor-in-chief of Journal of Natural Fibers.
Disclosure statement: The Guest Advisors have no conflicts to disclose related to this work.
