Coloration and antibacterial treatment of aramid fabric: A comprehensive review

Aramid fabric/fiber (AF), which possesses outstanding comprehensive qualities such as low density, high specific strength, and high specific modulus, is widely used for dresses of defense applications. Different dyes and chemicals are required to give the specific coloration effect of AF. AF are relatively difficult to dye due to their very crystalline structure and remarkable compactness. The different techniques, including supercritical carbon dioxide, microwave irradiation, liquid ammonia, ultraviolet treatment, co-polymerization, high temperature, carrier method, and ozone treatment, have already been utilized for the dyeing of AF. Among the processes, some of them show excellent dyeing performances in color fastness to wash, rubbing, and light. The AF also frequently used in harsh environments and cannot be cleaned in a timely manner; bacteria that develop on their surface might pose a health concern, making AF with antibacterial properties are extremely desirable. There have been a number of antibacterial treatments for AF to develop protection against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The in-situ treatment of AF using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) showed a high level of antibacterial activity. However, there are no reviews that discuss the coloration and antibacterial activity of AF. Therefore, this review summarized the coloration and antibacterial activity of AF using different dyes and nanoparticles.