Textile Functionalization and Its Effects on the Release of Silver Nanoparticles into Artificial Sweat

The release of silver nanoparticles into artificial sweat was investigated at BfR for ten textiles furnished with this element. Particular attention was attributed to the influence of the kind of functionalization technology applied on the migration rate.

Depending on the textile investigated, between 7 % and 75 % of the silver was released into the sweat simulant. Textiles in which the nanoparticles were embedded within the textile fibers released a smaller amount compared to those that contained the silver particles attached on the fiber surface. The results therefore indicate that the type of functionalization has a stronger influence on the silver release in comparison to the total amount contained in the textile. The silver determined in the artificial sweat predominantly occurred in dissolved form and only to a minor extent as particulate matter. Textiles furnished with nanosilver did not release more particulate silver in comparison to products equipped with conventional silver. Moreover, we provide evidence that particle modification such as surface coating affects the dissolution behavior of silver particles in sweat solution. All these characters are relevant with respect to consumer’s exposure towards nanoparticles from textiles and should be addressed more precisely in further investigations.

Textile Functionalization and Its Effects on the Release of Silver Nanoparticles into Artificial Sweat
Sandra Wagener, Nils Dommershausen, Harald Jungnickel, Peter Laux, Denise Mitrano, Bernd Nowack, Gregor Schneider, Andreas Luch
Environ. Sci. Technol., Article ASAP
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b06137
Publication Date (Web): April 29, 2016
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.5b06137