Preparation of biodegradable, antibacterial core-spun yarns with braided structures using QAS/PLA micro/nanocomposites

Abstract Medical antibacterial textiles play a vital role in tackling the issue of bacterial infection. Traditional surgical sutures face significant challenges due to wound infection caused by bacteria and breakage and scars caused by poor suture strength. Therefore, a new antibacterial and high-strength suture preparation strategy with wide clinical applicability was highly desired. In this study, a biodegradable quaternary ammonium salt (QAS)/polylactic acid (PLA) core-spun yarn with excellent antibacterial and mechanical properties was prepared by conjugated electrospinning technology combined with the braiding process. The antibacterial test results revealed the best overall performance of the PLA micro/nanofiber core-spun yarn with 0.3 wt% QAS antibacterial agent. The antibacterial rate against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was 94.49% and 94.00%, respectively, which could effectively solve the problem of wound infection caused by bacteria. In addition, we used the diamond-braided structure to address the poor strength and fragility of the traditional suture strength. The braiding angle of 30° and 45° could effectively enhance the mechanical properties of the yarn, and the breaking strength was also in line with the industry standard. The study proposed that the degradable QAS/PLA micro/nanofiber core-spun yarn, due to its excellent antibacterial and mechanical properties, could find application in medical protection. This provided a new avenue for research into new antibacterial surgical sutures.