Issue 64, 2016, Issue in Progress

Hybrid cotton–anatase prepared under mild conditions with high photocatalytic activity under sunlight

Abstract

Cotton fibres were coated with nanolayers of TiO2, anatase, using a new approach based on a non-hydrolytic sol–gel process followed by a mild hydrothermal treatment at a temperature lower than 140 °C. The crystallization process was followed by Raman spectroscopy and XRD, and the change in the chemical environment of Ti resulting from the hydrothermal temperature was analyzed using XPS. Changes in the morphology of the ensuing NPs on the different cotton samples were studied by FE-SEM. UV-Vis absorption spectra and the luminescence properties of the TiO2, as well as their thermal properties, were also investigated. To explain the TiO2 crystallization at temperatures much lower than 350 °C, a growth mechanism of TiO2 nanocrystallites (diameter < 15 nm) was proposed to proceed via coordination and ligand exchange of Ti(OBu)4 with the cotton surface hydroxyl groups followed by edge-sharing polycondensation during the hydrothermal process. Also the presence of acetic acid was revealed crucial in the mechanism. The hybrid cotton–TiO2 was shown to exhibit a good photocatalytic activity for the degradation of an organic dye – Remazol Brilliant Blue R. The preparation technique is reliable, easy to implement and can be also applied to cotton fabrics to create self-cleaning and protection textiles under visible irradiation. Reusability of the cotton samples was investigated.

Graphical abstract: Hybrid cotton–anatase prepared under mild conditions with high photocatalytic activity under sunlight

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
26 Apr 2016
Accepted
10 Jun 2016
First published
13 Jun 2016

RSC Adv., 2016,6, 58957-58969

Hybrid cotton–anatase prepared under mild conditions with high photocatalytic activity under sunlight

M. Abid, S. Bouattour, D. S. Conceição, A. M. Ferraria, L. F. Vieira Ferreira, A. M. Botelho do Rego, M. R. Vilar and S. Boufi, RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 58957 DOI: 10.1039/C6RA10806G

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