Abstract
Self-cleaning surfaces are functional structures with application in smart textiles. In this study, self-cleaning cotton fabrics were fabricated by coating photocatalytic zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) on cotton surfaces, using a traditional dip-pad-dry-cure coating process. The coatings and ZnO content-dependent self-cleaning properties of the coated fabrics were investigated to evaluate their potential in practical application. The ZnO NP-coated cotton fabrics were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Methylene blue was used as a test contaminant to qualitatively assess the self-cleaning properties of the fabrics. The removal efficiency was determined for fabrics with different ZnO contents, under different solar irradiation times. Consecutive photocatalytic degradations were carried out to investigate the self-cleaning durability of the fabrics. This involved repeatedly contaminating the same fabric position and subsequent cleaning by photocatalytic degradation. The self-cleaning properties of the fabrics depended on their ZnO NP content. A higher wt% of ZnO NPs in the coated fabric resulted in more pronounced photocatalytic degradation than fabrics with a lower wt%. The self-cleaning performance of the higher wt% ZnO NP fabric decreased slightly after the third consecutive photocatalytic degradation. Results of wash fastness showed color removal after 10 times washing under light irradiation. Moreover, the ZnO NP-coated fabrics exhibited excellent ultraviolet blocking properties. These findings provide a potential model for the practical application of self-cleaning textiles.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abidi N, Cabrales L, Hequet E (2009) Functionalization of a cotton fabric surface with titania nanosols: applications for self-cleaning and uv-protection properties. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 1:2141–2146. doi:10.1021/am900315t
Adhikari S, Sarkar D, Madras G (2015) Highly efficient wo3–zno mixed oxides for photocatalysis. RSC Adv 5:11895–11904. doi:10.1039/c4ra13210f
Barnes RJ, Molina R, Xu J, Dobson PJ, Thompson IP (2013) Comparison of tio2 and zno nanoparticles for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and the correlated inactivation of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. J Nanopart Res 15:1432–1442. doi:10.1007/s11051-013-1432-9
Bhattacharyya K, Tripathi AK, Gupta NM, Tyagi AK (2010) Photodegradation of methanol under uv–visible irradiation by titania dispersed on polyester cloth. Photochem Photobiol 86:241–246. doi:10.1111/j.1751-1097.2009.00653.x
Çakır BA, Budama L, Topel Ö, Hoda N (2012) Synthesis of zno nanoparticles using ps-b-paa reverse micelle cores for uv protective, self-cleaning and antibacterial textile applications. Colloid Surf A 414:132–139. doi:10.1016/j.colsurfa.2012.08.015
Carp O, Huisman CL, Reller A (2004) Photoinduced reactivity of titanium dioxide. Prog Solid State Chem 32:33–177. doi:10.1016/j.progsolidstchem.2004.08.001
Chandrappa KG, Venkatesha TV (2012) Electrochemical synthesis and photocatalytic property of zinc oxide nanoparticles. Nano Micro Lett 4:14–24. doi:10.1007/bf03353686
Chen C, Ma W, Zhao J (2010) Semiconductor-mediated photodegradation of pollutants under visible-light irradiation. Chem Soc Rev 39:4206–4219. doi:10.1039/B921692H
Fateh R, Dillert R, Bahnemann D (2014) Self-cleaning properties, mechanical stability, and adhesion strength of transparent photocatalytic tio(2)-zno coatings on polycarbonate. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 6:2270–2278. doi:10.1021/am4051876
Fujishima A (1972) Electrochemical photolysis of water at a semiconductor electrode. Nature 238:37–38
Fujishima A, Rao TN, Tryk DA (2000) Titanium dioxide photocatalysis. J Photoch Photobiol C 1:1–21
Ganesh VA, Raut HK, Nair AS, Ramakrishna S (2011) A review on self-cleaning coatings. J Mater Chem 21:16304–16322. doi:10.1039/C1JM12523K
Ghayempour S, Montazer M (2017) Ultrasound irradiation based in situ synthesis of star-like tragacanth gum/zinc oxide nanoparticles on cotton fabric. Ultrason Sonochem 34:458–465. doi:10.1016/j.ultsonch.2016.06.019
Hatamie A et al (2015) Zinc oxide nanostructure-modified textile and its application to biosensing, photocatalysis, and as antibacterial material. Langmuir 31:10913–13921. doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b02341
Height MJ, Pratsinis SE, Mekasuwandumrong O, Praserthdam P (2006) Ag-zno catalysts for uv-photodegradation of methylene blue. Appl Catal B Environ 63:305–312. doi:10.1016/j.apcatb.2005.10.018
Hernández-Alonso MD, Fresno F, Suárez S, Coronado JM (2009) Development of alternative photocatalysts to tio 2: challenges and opportunities. Energy Environ Sci 2:1231–1257. doi:10.1039/B907933E
Kanmani SS, Ramachandran K, Umapathy S (2012) Eosin yellowish dye-sensitized zno nanostructure-based solar cells employing solid peo redox couple electrolyte. Int J Photoenergy 2012:1–8. doi:10.1155/2012/267824
Karimi L, Mirjalili M, Yazdanshenas ME, Nazari A (2010) Effect of nano tio(2) on self-cleaning property of cross-linking cotton fabric with succinic acid under uv irradiation. Photochem Photobiol 86:1030–1037. doi:10.1111/j.1751-1097.2010.00756.x
Kenanakis G, Vernardou D, Katsarakis N (2012) Light-induced self-cleaning properties of zno nanowires grown at low temperatures. Appl Catal A Gen 411–412:7–14. doi:10.1016/j.apcata.2011.09.041
Lee KM, Abd Hamid SB, Lai CW (2015) Mechanism and kinetics study for photocatalytic oxidation degradation: a case study for phenoxyacetic acid organic pollutant. J Nanomater 2015:10. doi:10.1155/2015/940857
Ma C, Zhou Z, Wei H, Yang Z, Wang Z, Zhang Y (2011) Rapid large-scale preparation of zno nanowires for photocatalytic application. Nanoscale Res Lett 6:536–540. doi:10.1186/1556-276X-6-536
Mahltig B et al (2007) Solvothermal preparation of metallized titania sols for photocatalytic and antimicrobial coatings. J Mater Chem 17:2367–2374. doi:10.1039/b702519j
Manna J, Goswami S, Shilpa N, Sahu N, Rana RK (2015) Biomimetic method to assemble nanostructured ag@zno on cotton fabrics: application as self-cleaning flexible materials with visible-light photocatalysis and antibacterial activities. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 7:8076–8082. doi:10.1021/acsami.5b00633
Mekhilef S, Saidur R, Safari A (2011) A review on solar energy use in industries. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 15:1777–1790. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2010.12.018
Moafi HF, Shojaie AF, Zanjanchi MA (2011) Photocatalytic self-cleaning properties of cellulosic fibers modified by nano-sized zinc oxide. Thin Solid Films 519:3641–3646. doi:10.1016/j.tsf.2011.01.347
Moore J, Louder R, Thompson C (2014) Photocatalytic activity and stability of porous polycrystalline zno thin-films grown via a two-step thermal oxidation process. Coatings 4:651–669. doi:10.3390/coatings4030651
Parkin IP, Palgrave RG (2005) Self-cleaning coatings. J Mater Chem 15:1689–1695. doi:10.1039/b412803f
Qi K, Daoud WA, Xin JH, Mak CL, Tang W, Cheung WP (2006) Self-cleaning cotton. J Mater Chem 16:4567–4574. doi:10.1039/b610861j
Rahal R, Pigot T, Foix D, Lacombe S (2011) Photocatalytic efficiency and self-cleaning properties under visible light of cotton fabrics coated with sensitized tio2. Appl Catal B Environ 104:361–372. doi:10.1016/j.apcatb.2011.03.005
Shafaei N, Peyravi M, Jahanshahi M (2016) Improving surface structure of photocatalytic self-cleaning membrane by WO3/PANI nanoparticles. Polym Adv Technol 27:1325–1337. doi:10.1002/pat.3800
Shateri Khalil-Abad M, Yazdanshenas ME, Nateghi MR (2009) Effect of cationization on adsorption of silver nanoparticles on cotton surfaces and its antibacterial activity. Cellulose 16:1147–1157. doi:10.1007/s10570-009-9351-8
Shirgholami MA, Nazari A, Mirjalili M (2014) Statistical optimization of self-cleaning technology and color reduction in wool fabric by nano zinc oxide and eco-friendly cross-linker. Clean Technol Environ 17:905–919. doi:10.1007/s10098-014-0842-4
Thirugnanasambandam M, Iniyan S, Goic R (2010) A review of solar thermal technologies. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 14:312–322. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2009.07.014
Tian C, Zhang Q, Wu A, Jiang M, Liang Z, Jiang B, Fu H (2012) Cost-effective large-scale synthesis of zno photocatalyst with excellent performance for dye photodegradation. Chem Commun (Camb) 48:2858–2860. doi:10.1039/c2cc16434e
Wang R, Wang X, Xin JH (2010) Advanced visible-light-driven self-cleaning cotton by au/tio2/sio2photocatalysts. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2:82–85. doi:10.1021/am900588s
Wei X, Lu Q, Sui X, Wang Z, Zhang Y (2012) Characterization of the water-insoluble pyrolytic cellulose from cellulose pyrolysis oil. J Anal Appl Pyrolsis 97:49–54. doi:10.1016/j.jaap.2012.07.002
Wu D, Long M (2011) Enhancing visible-light activity of the self-cleaning tio2-coated cotton fabrics by loading agi particles. Surf Coatings Technol 206:1175–1179. doi:10.1016/j.surfcoat.2011.08.007
Zheng Y et al (2007) Luminescence and photocatalytic activity of zno nanocrystals: correlation between structure and property. Inorg Chem 46:6675–6682. doi:10.1021/ic062394m
Zhu C, Takatera M (2013) Effect of fabric structure and yarn on capillary liquid flow within fabrics. J Fiber Bioeng Inf 6:205–215. doi:10.3993/jfbi06201309
Zhu C, Takatera M (2014) A new thermocouple technique for the precise measurement of in-plane capillary water flow within fabrics. Text Res J 84:513–526. doi:10.1177/0040517513503729
Zhu P, Sui S, Wang B, Sun K, Sun G (2004) A study of pyrolysis and pyrolysis products of flame-retardant cotton fabrics by dsc, tga, and py–gc–ms. J Anal Appl Pyrolsis 71:645–655. doi:10.1016/j.jaap.2003.09.005
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the JSPS KAKENHI, Grant Number JP16K16256.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhu, C., Shi, J., Xu, S. et al. Design and characterization of self-cleaning cotton fabrics exploiting zinc oxide nanoparticle-triggered photocatalytic degradation. Cellulose 24, 2657–2667 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-017-1289-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-017-1289-7