Novel refreshable N ‐halamine polymeric biocides: Grafting hydantoin‐containing monomers onto high performance fibers by a continuous process

In this study, a continuous “pad‐dry‐cure” process was developed for the first time to graft a cycloamine monomer, 3‐allyl‐5,5‐dimethylhydantoin (ADMH), onto several high performance fibers, including Nomex, Kermel, and a PBI/Kevlar blend. The influence of reaction conditions on the grafting copolymerizaiton was studied. It was found that in the presence of a difunctional monomer, poly(ethylene glycol)–diacrylate (PEG–DIA), ADMH could be readily grafted onto these fibers. After exposure to chlorine, the hydantoin structures in the grafted samples could be transformed into N ‐halamines, which provided powerful, durable, and regenerable antibacterial activities against both gram‐negative and gram‐positive bacteria. The influence of hydrophobic/rigid properties of the fabrics on grafting reactions as well as on their antibacterial activities was discussed, and the importance of full contact was emphasized. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 1032–1039, 2003