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. 2015 Nov 24;8(11):7988-7996.
doi: 10.3390/ma8115437.

TiO₂ Nanosols Applied Directly on Textiles Using Different Purification Treatments

Simona Ortelli  1 , Anna Luisa Costa  2 , Michele Dondi  3
Affiliations

TiO₂ Nanosols Applied Directly on Textiles Using Different Purification Treatments

Simona Ortelli et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

Self-cleaning applications using TiO₂ coatings on various supporting media have been attracting increasing interest in recent years. This work discusses the issue of self-cleaning textile production on an industrial scale. A method for producing self-cleaning textiles starting from a commercial colloidal nanosuspension (nanosol) of TiO₂ is described. Three different treatments were developed for purifying and neutralizing the commercial TiO₂ nanosol: washing by ultrafiltration; purifying with an anion exchange resin; and neutralizing in an aqueous solution of ammonium bicarbonate. The different purified TiO₂ nanosols were characterized in terms of particle size distribution (using dynamic light scattering), electrical conductivity, and ζ potential (using electrophoretic light scattering). The TiO₂-coated textiles' functional properties were judged on their photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB), used as a stain model. The photocatalytic performance of the differently treated TiO₂-coated textiles was compared, revealing the advantages of purification with an anion exchange resin. The study demonstrated the feasibility of applying commercial TiO₂ nanosol directly on textile surfaces, overcoming problems of existing methods that limit the industrial scalability of the process.

Keywords: anion exchange resin; nano-TiO2; photocatalytic performance; purification process.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of the dip-pad-dry-cure method.
Figure 2
Figure 2
XRD diffractograms of TAC (light gray), TACF (medium gray) and TACR (black); (A = anatase; B = brookite).
Figure 3
Figure 3
ζ potential vs. pH of TAC, TACF and TACR samples.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Influence of pH on pHi.e.p. and electrical conductivity.
Figure 5
Figure 5
SEM micrographs of: (a) an uncoated fabric fiber and (b) a fabric fiber coated with the TACF nanosol.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Increase in photocatalytic efficiency as a function of pH (▪) and electrical conductivity (●).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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