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. 2025 Aug 5;26(15):7550.
doi: 10.3390/ijms26157550.

Visible-Light-Driven Degradation of Biological Contaminants on the Surface of Textile Fabric Modified with TiO2-N Photocatalyst

Maria Solovyeva  1   2 , Evgenii Zhuravlev  3 , Yuliya Kozlova  3 , Alevtina Bardasheva  3 , Vera Morozova  3 , Grigory Stepanov  3 , Denis Kozlov  1   2 , Mikhail Lyulyukin  1   2 , Dmitry Selishchev  1   2
Affiliations

Visible-Light-Driven Degradation of Biological Contaminants on the Surface of Textile Fabric Modified with TiO2-N Photocatalyst

Maria Solovyeva et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

The problem of spreading harmful infections through contaminated surfaces has become more acute during the recent coronavirus pandemic. The design of self-cleaning materials, which can continuously decompose biological contaminants, is an urgent task for environmental protection and human health care. In this study, the surface of blended cotton/polyester fabric was functionalized with N-doped TiO2 (TiO2-N) nanoparticles using titanium(IV) isopropoxide as a binder to form durable photoactive coating and additionally decorated with Cu species to promote its self-cleaning properties. The photocatalytic ability of the material with photoactive coating was investigated in oxidation of acetone vapor, degradation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragments of various lengths, and inactivation of PA136 bacteriophage virus and Candida albicans fungi under visible light and ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation. The kinetic aspects of inactivation and degradation processes were studied using the methods of infrared (IR) spectroscopy, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), double-layer plaque assay, and ten-fold dilution. The results of experiments showed that the textile fabric modified with TiO2-N photocatalyst exhibited photoinduced self-cleaning properties and provided efficient degradation of all studied contaminants under exposure to both UVA and visible light. Additional modification of the material with Cu species substantially improved its self-cleaning properties, even in the absence of light.

Keywords: N-doped TiO2; photoactive fabric; photocatalytic degradation; self-cleaning textile; visible light.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
SEM micrographs of (a) initial fabric (IF) and prepared photoactive (b,c) PF-TN and (d) PF-TN-Cu materials; (e) bright-field STEM image of coated fiber in PF-TN-Cu material; (f) copper distribution in PF-TN-Cu material according to EDX analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) XPS spectra in the Ti2p region, (b) XRD patterns, and (c) UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra of the initial fabric (IF), photoactive fabric modified with TiO2-N (PF-TN), and photoactive fabric modified with TiO2-N and Cu species (PF-TN-Cu).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Photocatalytic activity of synthesized fabric materials and TN powder under visible light and UVA radiation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Kinetic curves of DNA concentration change under UVA irradiation on the surface of initial fabric (IF) and photoactive fabric with TiO2-N (PF-TN) using DNA fragments with lengths of (a) 71 bp, (b) 126 bp, (c) 226 bp, and (d) 454 bp.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Relative reduction in DNA concentration on the surface of initial fabric (IF) and PF-TN material under (a) UVA and (b) visible light.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Change in phage concentration on the surface of (a) PF-TN and (b) PF-TN-Cu materials; change in its DNA on (c) PF-TN and (d) PF-TN-Cu surfaces under visible light.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Kinetic changes in cell concentration of Candida Albicans on the surface of initial fabric IF and photoactive material PF-TN-Cu under (a) UVA irradiation and (b) visible light.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Synthesis schemes of (a) TiO2-N photocatalyst (TN) and (b) photoactive fabric (PF-TN).
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