The present invention relates to an antibacterial antifungal agent and a fibrous material containing the same. More particularly, it relates to an antibacterial antifungal agent that is extremely effective as both bactericide and antimold, well functional to a contamination at a high fungal concentration, highly durable, and significantly resistant to a reduction in effectiveness and in release contamination due to washing, and highly safe, and it relates to a fibrous material containing the same. Moreover, the present invention relates to various things having fibrous materials containing the antibacterial antifungal agents, for example, air filters of room cleaning conditioners used in the facilities of semiconductor manufacturing industries, pharmaceutical industries, food industries, hospitals and the like, filters for office and domestic room conditioners. Particularly, it relates to filters having antibacterial antifungal functions which may be applied to air filters used in various vehicles, such as automobiles. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a wide variety of articles, especially various filter materials which are extremely effective as both bactericide and antimold, well functional to a contamination at a high fungal concentration, highly durable, and significantly resistant to a reduction in effectiveness and in release contamination due to washing, and highly safe.
Recently there have been marketed a wide variety of fibrous products having antibacterial and antifungal functions in response to an ever increasing user's requirement of rendering equipments more and more sanitary. It has been well known heretofore that inorganic compounds such as metal salts of silver, copper, zinc and the like have an antibacterial property. It has also been well known that organic compounds such as pyrrole, pyridine, pyrimidine, imidazole, and thiazole compounds have an antifungal property.
There is generally a great tendency, however, that inorganic metal salts are inferior in an antimold effect though they have an antibacterial effect, while organic compounds are inferior in an antibacterial effect though they have an antifungal effect. There has been no material which has both sufficient antibacterial and antifungal functions.
Recently, as a matter of fact, manufacturers have directed a great effort in coping with the increasing need for various fibrous articles which have both antibacterial and antifungal functions.
Many attempts have been made heretofore to apply various inorganic metal salt compounds and organic compounds as described above to various products for the purpose of imparting the antibacterial and antifungal functions.
Japanese Patent KOKAI (Laid-open) No. Hei 7-126432 discloses an antibacterial antifungal resin composition comprising resin having a complex of an Ag ion coordinated by thiol-containing compounds.
Japanese Patent KOKAI No. Hei 7-133444 discloses an antibacterial paint composition comprising an antibacterial agent and a vehicle where the antibacterial agent is a metal complex having an Ag, Co, Zn, Sn or Cr ion coordinated by coordination compounds which have an alkoxysilyl group and a coordination group coordinatable with the metal ions in the molecule.
Japanese Patent KOKAI No. Hei 5-7617 discloses a deodorant material having acidic groups which contains a specific gram equivalent per gram polymer of acidic groups which are substituted with at least one metal ion selected from the group consisting of Zn, Cu, Ni, Mn, Ag and Fe ions.
Japanese Patent KOKAI No. Hei 5-214671 discloses a deodorizing antibacterial fibers consisting of ion-exchange fibers, at least a part of which are substituted with metal ions having an antibacterial activity and with ions having a deodorizing activity.
Japanese Patent KOKAI No. Hei 6-200472 discloses antibacterial fibers comprising ion-exchange fibers and metal ions having an antibacterial activity trapped in the ion-exchange fibers by ion-exchange reaction.
Japanese Patent KOKAI No. Sho 63-270900 discloses cellulose fibers which have a deodorizing ability and a formability into paper comprising carboxymethylated cellulose fibers at a carboxymethyl substitution degree of 0.35 or less having Cu ions and/or Zn ions absorbed on the fibers.
Japanese Patent KOKAI No. Hei 5-106199 discloses an antibacterial fibers which are produced by depositing inorganic silicon compounds within fibers, then immersing the inorganic silicon compound bearing fibers in a solution of an alminate salt and thereafter treating the fibers by immersing in a solution containing at least one selected from the group consisting of water soluble salts of copper, silver and zinc.
Japanese Patent KOKAI No. Hei 6-248549 discloses a non-woven fabric comprising substantially water insoluble pulp fibers containing an antibacterial agent, said fiber sheet being insoluble in water or of a low solubility, which is produced by stratifying fiber sheets on the surface of a long fiber non-woven fabric having a number of long fibers stratified, and passing a columnar flow of water under a high pressure through the laminate from the side of said sheets to the opposite side of the said long fiber non-woven fabric, whereby the fibers forming said sheets are cross-linked with the long fibers forming said long fiber non-woven fabric.
Japanese Patent KOKAI No. Hei 4-126819 discloses polyvinyl alcohol fibers having an antibacterial activity which contain 2-(4-thiazolyl)-benzimidazole or 2-(carbomethoxyamino)-benzimidazole.
However, none of those methods is capable of providing a material having sufficiently both antibacterial and antifungal functions, and particularly there still remains a problem of durability.
Antibacterial agents such as organic compounds of heavy metal salts have been known for a long time as, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,809,971 discloses heavy metal salts of 1-hydroxy-2-pyridinethion. It claims zinc salts, manganese salts, iron salts, cobalt salts and copper salts as the heavy metal salts.
As further described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,809,971, the organic compounds of heavy metal salts are used in leather, paper, paints, and particularly applicable to plastics and fabrics by impregnation and spray processing.
Said U.S. Patent describes that the fabrics are treated with pyridinethiol followed by treating with water soluble heavy metal salts.
In this method, however, initial effects may be obtained, but released contamination and deterioration due to washing, friction and the like may happen. Thus, the products are likely to be devoid of sustained effects.
Recently a variety of articles including various fibrous products, especially filter materials, having antibacterial and antifungal functions have been marketed on the background of an increasing user's requirement for more sanitary.
Many attempts have been made heretofore to apply antibacterial antifungal agents, particularly various fibrous materials containing inorganic metal salt compounds to, for example, filter materials for the purpose of imparting the antibacterial and antifungal functions.
Japanese Patent KOKAI No. Hei 6-285314 discloses a non-woven fabric provided as antibacterial filter sheet which is produced by mixing Ag containing glass fibers having a specific average diameter and containing monovalent Ag ions with Ag free glass fibers having a specific average diameter and a specific average length, and making the mixture into paper.
Japanese Patent KOKAI No. Hei 6-285314 discloses a deodorizing antibacterial filter sheet comprising a non-woven fabric which is produced by paper-making the mixture of activated carbon filters and Ag containing glass fibers which contain monovalent Ag ions.
Japanese Patent KOKAI No. Hei 6-269619 discloses an antibacterial hotmelt sheet characterized in that breathable sheets are bonded to each other with a breathable antibacterial hotmelt sheets so as to be breathable throughout all the sheets.
Japanese Patent KOKAI No. Hei 7-108120 discloses a process for producing an antibacterial air filter characterized in that a metal fume having an antibacterial activity is entrained in an air flow passing through between filter fibers which the filter is made of so that the metal fume is deposited on the filter fibers when the metal fume containing air passes through the air filter.
However, none of the methods as above can provide articles including various fibrous materials having both antibacterial and antifungal functions, and especially none of prior filter materials has sufficient antibacterial and antifungal functions, and particularly there still remains a problem of durability.