Facile fabrication of hybrid PA6-decorated TiO2 fabrics with excellent photocatalytic, anti-bacterial, UV light-shielding, and super hydrophobic properties

Abstract

Self-cleaning fabrics decorated with titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) have garnered worldwide attention due to their outstanding ultraviolet (UV) light-shielding, anti-bacterial properties and other characteristics. Numerous techniques to construct super-antiwetting surfaces have been investigated for both fundamental research and practical application. A facile and eco-friendly way by a combination of UV irradiation and ultrasonic bath method has been developed to prepare a novel self-cleaning hybrid polyamine 6/nano TiO₂ (PA6/nano TiO₂) fabric with superhydrophobic and durable photocatalytic properties. To evaluate the fabric's reusability, hybrid PA6/nano TiO₂ fabrics were subjected to five consecutive cycles of the photocatalytic degradation of the methyl orange (MO) dye. The results indicated that TiO₂ NPs were firmly fixed on the fiber surface. The UV-blocking and anti-microbial properties of these hybrid fabrics were also tested. For PA6 immobilized by commercial nano TiO₂-P25 (P25-PA6) and PA6 immobilized by prepared visible-light photocatalyst PVA_D-TiO₂(PVA_D-PA6) fabrics, the UV protection factors (UPFs) of the samples were 56 and 1123, respectively. The anti-microbial efficacies of the two samples were both 99%. The water contact angles were 151.7° and 154.6°, respectively, indicating surface superhydrophobicity. These results showed that this novel fabric has great potential for indoor environmental purification and outdoor protection applications.