Electromagnetic Shielding Fabrics with Antimicrobial Properties for Healthcare

Flexible textile shields for electromagnetic radiation protection were made possible with the progress of metallic threads spinning and with the progress of textile manufacturing technologies. The scientific contributions on this topic are widespread and in the last decade additional textile-specific properties were rendered to the flexible shields, such as: fireproofing, hydrophobic, oleophobic, antimicrobial, breathability etc. Our current research is focused on the investigation of the anti-microbial character of electromagnetic shielding woven fabrics with inserted silver and stainless steel threads. The fabrics are meant to be used for healthcare protection as covers against non-ionizing radiation. The antimicrobial activity of these textile shields was investigated by three strains of pahtologic fungi: Candida albicans, Trichoderma viride and Aspergillus niger. The materials were investigated following a modified ASTM G21-15 method and percent reduction rates were calculated, compared to a $\mathbf{100 \%}$ cotton test fabric without silver content.