Abstract
Self-cleaning fabrics can be developed based on introducing two mechanisms of superhydrophobicity and photocatalytic activity to conventional fabrics. However, there are some downsides such as inefficiency of superhydrophobic coatings against oily contaminants and low effectiveness of photocatalytic surface treatments under visible light which have restricted the widespread applications of these functional products. This research presents the development of self-cleaning cotton fabric with dual functionalities of superhydrophobicity and photocatalytic activity using microhierarchial TiO2-based particles. It is aimed to fabricate fluorine-free durable superhydrophobic coatings with simultaneous photocatalytic self-cleaning under simulated sunlight. Fluorine-free coating formulations composed of flower-like particles, either TiO2 or nitrogen-doped TiO2, and polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) polymer were applied to cotton fabrics using a facile dip-coating method. The self-cleaning performance of fabrics was assessed based on their superhydrophobicity and effective removal of oil-based stains under simulated sunlight. Additionally, the impact of nitrogen doping on enhancing the photocatalytic activity of flower-like TiO2 particles was investigated. The obtained results demonstrated that the presence of both PDMS and hierarchical particles generated excellent superhydrophobicity on the cotton fabric with a water contact angle of 156.7° ± 1.9°. In addition, the coated fabric exhibited highly efficient photocatalytic activity, decomposing absorbed stains after 30 min of irradiation. Nitrogen doping process significantly boosted the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 particles in degrading food stains and Rhodamine B dye solution. The developed fabrics showed high robustness against chemical and physical durability tests.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Code availability
There is no code availability for software application or custom code.
References
Abid M, Bouattour S, Ferraria AM, Conceição DS, Carapeto AP, Ferreira V, Botelho do Rego LF, Chehimi AM, Rei Vilar MM, M., & Boufi S (2017) Facile functionalization of cotton with nanostructured silver/titania for visible-light plasmonic photocatalysis. J Colloid Interface Sci 507:83–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2017.07.109
Abidi N, Manike M (2018) X-ray diffraction and FTIR investigations of cellulose deposition during cotton fiber development. Tex Res J 88(7):719–730. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040517516688634
Afzal S, Daoud Wa, Langford SJ (2012) Self-cleaning cotton by porphyrin-sensitized visible-light photocatalysis. J Mater Chem 22:4083–4088. https://doi.org/10.1039/C2JM15146D
Anandan S, Narasinga Rao T, Sathish M, Rangappa D, Honma I, Miyauchi M (2013) Superhydrophilic graphene-loaded TiO2 thin film for self-cleaning applications. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 5(1):207–212. https://doi.org/10.1021/am302557z
Boningari T, Inturi SNR, Suidan M, Smirniotis PG (2018) Novel one-step synthesis of nitrogen-doped TiO2 by flame aerosol technique for visible-light photocatalysis: effect of synthesis parameters and secondary nitrogen (N) source. Chem Eng J 350:324–334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2018.05.122
Cai R, De Smet D, Vanneste M, Nysten B, Glinel K, Jonas AM (2019) One-step aqueous spraying process for the fabrication of omniphobic fabrics free of long perfluoroalkyl chains. ACS Omega 4(15):16660–16666. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.9b02583
Cao C, Wang F, Lu M (2020) Superhydrophobic CuO coating fabricated on cotton fabric for oil/water separation and photocatalytic degradation. Colloids Surf A 601:125033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2020.125033
Chen Q, Ozkan A, Chattopadhyay B, Baert K, Poleunis C, Tromont A, Snyders R, Delcorte A, Terryn H, Delplancke-Ogletree M-P, Geerts YH, Reniers F (2019) N-doped TiO2 photocatalyst coatings synthesized by a cold atmospheric plasma. Langmuir 35(22):7161–7168. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b00784
Cheng X, Yu X, Xing Z (2012) Characterization and mechanism analysis of N doped TiO2 with visible light response and its enhanced visible activity. Appl Surf Sci 258(7):3244–3248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2011.11.072
Cong Y, Zhang J, Chen F, Anpo M (2007) Synthesis and characterization of nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanophotocatalyst with high visible light activity. J Phys Chem C 111(19):6976–6982. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp0685030
Dalawai SP, Saad Aly MA, Latthe SS, Xing R, Sutar RS, Nagappan S, Ha C-S, Sadasivuni K, K., & Liu S (2020) Recent advances in durability of superhydrophobic self-cleaning technology: a critical review. Prog Org Coat 138:105381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.porgcoat.2019.105381
Daoud WA (ed) (2013) Self-cleaning materials and surfaces: a nanotechnology approach. Wiley, Chichester
Darmanin T, Guittard F (2015) Superhydrophobic and superoleophobic properties in nature. Mater Today 18(5):273–285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mattod.2015.01.001
Di Valentin C, Finazzi E, Pacchioni G, Selloni A, Livraghi S, Paganini MC, Giamello E (2007) N-doped TiO2: theory and experiment. Chem Phys 339(1):44–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemphys.2007.07.020
Fan Y, Zhou J, Zhang J, Lou Y, Huang Z, Ye Y, Jia L, Tang B (2018) Photocatalysis and self-cleaning from g-C3N4 coated cotton fabrics under sunlight irradiation. Chem Phys Lett 699:146–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cplett.2018.03.048
Foorginezhad S, Zerafat MM (2019) Fabrication of stable fluorine-free superhydrophobic fabrics for anti-adhesion and self-cleaning properties. Appl Surf Sci 464:458–471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.09.058
Geyer F, D’Acunzi M, Sharifi-Aghili A, Saal A, Gao N, Kaltbeitzel A, Sloot T-F, Berger R, Butt H-J, Vollmer D (2020) When and how self-cleaning of superhydrophobic surfaces works. Sci Adv 6(3):9727. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaw9727
Ghasemlou M, Daver F, Ivanova EP, Adhikari B (2019) Bio-inspired sustainable and durable superhydrophobic materials: from nature to market. J Mater Chem A 7(28):16643–16670. https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA05185F
Hu M, Wu Z, Sun L, Guo S, Li H, Liao J, Huang C, Wang B (2019) Improving pervaporation performance of PDMS membranes by interpenetrating polymer network for recovery of bio-butanol. Sep Purif Technol 228:115690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2019.115690
Huang JY, Li SH, Ge MZ, Wang LN, Xing TL, Chen GQ, Liu XF, Al-Deyab SS, Zhang KQ, Chen T, Lai YK (2015) Robust superhydrophobic TiO2@fabrics for UV shielding, self-cleaning and oil–water separation. J Mater Chem A 3(6): 2825–2832. https://doi.org/10.1039/C4TA05332J
Huang J, Dou L, Li J, Zhong J, Li M, Wang T (2021) Excellent visible light responsive photocatalytic behavior of N-doped TiO2 toward decontamination of organic pollutants. J Hazard Mater 403:123857. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123857
Ju J, Yao X, Hou X, Liu Q, Zhang YS, Khademhosseini A (2017) A highly stretchable and robust non-fluorinated superhydrophobic surface. J Mater Chem A 5(31):16273–16280. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6TA11133E
Li S, Huang J, Ge M, Cao C, Deng S, Zhang S, Chen G, Zhang K, Al-Deyab SS, Lai Y (2015) Robust flower-like TiO2@cotton fabrics with special wettability for effective self-cleaning and versatile oil/water separation. Adv Mater Interfaces 2(14):1500220. https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.201500220
Liang Y, Pakdel E, Zhang M, Sun L, Wang X (2019) Photoprotective properties of alpaca fiber melanin reinforced by rutile TiO2 nanoparticles: a study on wool fabric. Polym Degrad Stab 160:80–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2018.12.006
Liu X, Xing Z, Zhang Y, Li Z, Wu X, Tan S, Yu X, Zhu Q, Zhou W (2017) Fabrication of 3D flower-like black N-TiO2-x@MoS2 for unprecedented-high visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance. Appl Catal B 201:119–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2016.08.031
Lu X, Li Z, Liu Ya, Tang B, Zhu Y, Razal JM, Pakdel E, Wang J, Wang X (2020) Titanium dioxide coated carbon foam as microreactor for improved sunlight driven treatment of cotton dyeing wastewater. J Cleaner Prod 246:118949. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118949
Luna M, Mosquera MJ, Vidal H, Gatica JM (2019) Au-TiO2/SiO2 photocatalysts for building materials: self-cleaning and de-polluting performance. Build Environ 164:106347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106347
Montazer M, Pakdel E (2011) Functionality of nano titanium dioxide on textiles with future aspects: Focus on wool. J Photochem Photobiol C, 12(4):293–303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotochemrev.2011.08.005
Nguyen-Tri P, Tran HN, Plamondon CO, Tuduri L, Vo D-VN, Nanda S, Mishra A, Chao H-P, Bajpai AK (2019) Recent progress in the preparation, properties and applications of superhydrophobic nano-based coatings and surfaces: A review. Prog Org Coat 132:235–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.porgcoat.2019.03.042
Noralian Z, Gashti MP, Moghaddam MR, Tayyeb H, Erfanian I (2021) Ultrasonically developed silver/iota-carrageenan/cotton bionanocomposite as an efficient material for biomedical applications. Int J Biol Macromol 180:439–457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.02.204
Pakdel E, Daoud W (2013) Self-cleaning cotton functionalized with TiO2/SiO2: focus on the role of silica. J Colloid Interface Sci 401:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2013.03.016
Pakdel E, Daoud WA, Sun L, Wang X (2014a) Visible and UV functionality of TiO2 ternary nanocomposites on cotton. Appl Surf Sci 321:447–456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2014.10.018
Pakdel E, Daoud WA, Wang X (2014b) Assimilating the photo-induced functions of TiO2-based compounds in textiles: emphasis on the sol-gel process. Text Res J 85(13):1404–1428. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040517514551462
Pakdel E, Daoud WA, Afrin T, Sun L, Wang X (2015) Self-cleaning wool: effect of noble metals and silica on visible-light-induced functionalities of nano TiO2 colloid. J Text Inst 106(12):1348–1361. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405000.2014.995461
Pakdel E, Wang J, Allardyce BJ, Rajkhowa R, Wang X (2016) Functionality of nano and 3D-microhierarchical TiO2 particles as coagulants for sericin extraction from the silk degumming wastewater. Sep Purif Technol 170:92–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2016.06.025
Pakdel E, Daoud WA, Seyedin S, Wang J, Razal JM, Sun L, Wang X (2018a) Tunable photocatalytic selectivity of TiO2/SiO2 nanocomposites: effect of silica and isolation approach. Colloids Surf A 552:130–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2018.04.070
Pakdel E, Fang J, Sun L, Wang X (2018b) Nanocoatings for smart textiles. In: Yilmaz ND (ed) Smart textiles: wearable nanotechnology. Wiley, Hoboken, pp 247–300
Pakdel E, Wang J, Kashi S, Sun L, Wang X (2020) Advances in photocatalytic self-cleaning, superhydrophobic and electromagnetic interference shielding textile treatments. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 277:102116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cis.2020.102116
Parvinzadeh Gashti M, Alimohammadi F, Shamei A (2012) Preparation of water-repellent cellulose fibers using a polycarboxylic acid/hydrophobic silica nanocomposite coating. Surf Coat Technol 206(14):3208–3215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2012.01.006
Parvinzadeh Gashti M, Almasian A (2013) Citric acid/ZrO2 nanocomposite inducing thermal barrier and self-cleaning properties on protein fibers. Compos Part B 52:340–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2013.04.037
Parvinzadeh Gashti M, Pakdel E, Alimohammadi F (2016) Nanotechnology-based coating techniques for smart textiles. In: Hu J (ed) Active coatings for smart textiles. Woodhead Publishing, Duxford, pp 243–268
Schellenberger S, Hill PJ, Levenstam O, Gillgard P, Cousins IT, Taylor M, Blackburn RS (2019) Highly fluorinated chemicals in functional textiles can be replaced by re-evaluating liquid repellency and end-user requirements. J Cleaner Prod 217:134–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.160
Sun Z, Pichugin VF, Evdokimov KE, Konishchev ME, Syrtanov MS, Kudiiarov VN, Li K, Tverdokhlebov SI (2020) Effect of nitrogen-doping and post annealing on wettability and band gap energy of TiO2 thin film. Appl Surf Sci 500:144048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2019.144048
Talebi S, Montazer M (2020) Denim fabric with flame retardant, hydrophilic and self-cleaning properties conferring by in-situ synthesis of silica nanoparticles. Cellulose 27(11):6643–6661. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-020-03195-6
Tavares MTS, Santos ASF, Santos IMG, Silva MRS, Bomio MRD, Longo E, Paskocimas CA, Motta FV (2014) TiO2/PDMS nanocomposites for use on self-cleaning surfaces. Surf Coat Technol 239:16–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2013.11.009
Wang C, Yin L, Zhang L, Qi Y, Lun N, Liu N (2010) Large scale synthesis and gas-sensing properties of anatase TiO2 three-dimensional hierarchical nanostructures. Langmuir 26(15):12841–12848. https://doi.org/10.1021/la100910u
Wang Y, Huang Z, Gurney RS, Liu D (2019) Superhydrophobic and photocatalytic PDMS/TiO2 coatings with environmental stability and multifunctionality. Colloids Surf A 561:101–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2018.10.054
Wu D, Wang H, Li C, Xia J, Song X, Huang W (2014) Photocatalytic self-cleaning properties of cotton fabrics functionalized with p-BiOI/n-TiO2 heterojunction. Surf Coat Technol 258:672–676. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2014.08.019
Wu Y, Zhou S, You B, Wu L (2017) Bioinspired design of three-dimensional ordered tribrachia-post arrays with re-entrant geometry for omniphobic and slippery surfaces. ACS Nano 11(8):8265–8272. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.7b03433
Xie W, Pakdel E, Liu D, Sun L, Wang X (2019) Waste Hair-Derived Natural Melanin/TiO2 Hybrids as Highly Efficient and Stable UV-Shielding Fillers for Polyurethane Films. ACS Sustainable Chem Eng 8(3):1343–1352. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b03514
Xie W, Pakdel E, Liang Y, Liu D, Sun L, Wang X (2020) Natural melanin/TiO2 hybrids for simultaneous removal of dyes and heavy metal ions under visible light. J Photochem Photobiol A 389:112292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotochem.2019.112292
Xu Q, Fan Q, Ma J, Yan Z (2016) Facile synthesis of casein-based TiO2 nanocomposite for self-cleaning and high covering coatings: Insights from TiO2 dosage. Prog Org Coat 99:223–229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.porgcoat.2016.05.024
Xu L, Zhang X, Shen Y, Ding Y, Wang L, Sheng Y (2018) Durable superhydrophobic cotton textiles with ultraviolet-blocking property and photocatalysis based on flower-like copper sulfide. Ind Eng Chem Res 57(19):6714–6725. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.8b00254
Yang M, Liu W, Jiang C, He S, Xie Y, Wang Z (2018) Fabrication of superhydrophobic cotton fabric with fluorinated TiO2 sol by a green and one-step sol-gel process. Carbohydr Polym 197:75–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.05.075
Zahid M, Heredia-Guerrero JA, Athanassiou A, Bayer IS (2017) Robust water repellent treatment for woven cotton fabrics with eco-friendly polymers. Chem Eng J 319:321–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2017.03.006
Zahid M, Mazzon G, Athanassiou A, Bayer IS (2019) Environmentally benign non-wettable textile treatments: a review of recent state-of-the-art. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 270:216–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cis.2019.06.001
Zhang X, Si Y, Mo J, Guo Z (2017) Robust micro-nanoscale flowerlike ZnO/epoxy resin superhydrophobic coating with rapid healing ability. Chem Eng J 313:1152–1159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2016.11.014
Zhao J, Wang J, Fan L, Pakdel E, Huang S, Wang X (2017) Immobilization of titanium dioxide on PAN fiber as a recyclable photocatalyst via co-dispersion solvent dip coating. Text Res J 87(5):570–581. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040517516632479
Zhou H, Wang H, Niu H, Gestos A, Wang X, Lin T (2012) Fluoroalkyl silane modified silicone rubber/nanoparticle composite: a super durable, robust superhydrophobic fabric coating. Adv Mater 24(18):2409–2412. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201200184
Zhou H, Zhao Y, Wang H, Lin T (2016) Recent development in durable super-liquid-repellent fabrics. Adv Mater Interfaces 3(23):1600402. https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.201600402
Zhou P, Lv J, Xu H, Wang X, Sui X, Zhong Y, Wang B, Chen Z, Feng X, Zhang L, Mao Z (2019) Functionalization of cotton fabric with bismuth oxyiodide nanosheets: applications for photodegrading organic pollutants, UV shielding and self-cleaning. Cellulose 26(4):2873–2884. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-019-02281-8
Zhu H, Guo Z, Liu W (2014) Adhesion behaviors on superhydrophobic surfaces. Chem Commun 50(30):3900–3913. https://doi.org/10.1039/C3CC47818A
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical approval
This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
Informed consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pakdel, E., Zhao, H., Wang, J. et al. Superhydrophobic and photocatalytic self-cleaning cotton fabric using flower-like N-doped TiO2/PDMS coating. Cellulose 28, 8807–8820 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-021-04075-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-021-04075-3