Assessment of antibacterial activity of lining leather treated with silver doped hydroxyapatite

In this study, silver doped hydroxyapatite (Ag-HA) prepared by the microwave method was applied as the finishing agent to leather, and its antibacterial effect was investigated. The structural properties of the Ag-HA treated leather were determined using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman Spectroscopy. In the Raman and FTIR results, the presence of the PO43- band of HA clearly indicated the application of 0%-5% Ag-HA to the surface of the finished leathers, and xMeO (Ag2O) peaks showed that silver was present in the film on the leather surface. The antibacterial activity of the leathers were assessed by means of the parallel streak method (qualitative) and the test of percentage of microbial reduction (quantitative). According to the results of these tests, leather treated with Ag-HA containing 2% or more of silver (Ag) showed good antibacterial activity, and it was decided that Ag doped hydroxyapatite could be used as an antibacterial agent on lining leathers. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd