Grafting of N-doped titania nanoparticles synthesized by the plasma-assisted method on textile surface for sunlight photocatalytic self-cleaning applications

Abstract

Abstract The surface of textile fibers were coated with nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanoparticles obtained from an aqueous solution of TiCl3 via a plasma-assisted oxi-precipitation process at atmospheric pressure. The photocatalytic activities hence self-cleaning properties of the coated fabrics were investigated. The structural analysis was characterized by FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; while the surface morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). As a result, it was demonstrated that visible, efficient photocatalyst with both anatase and rutile TiO2 phases and average grain size of 8–12\u202fnm were synthesized and grafted durably onto the textile even after three successive washes in hard conditions. The coated fabrics exhibited a stable and promising photocatalytic property and therefore could be a good candidate to manufacture long life self-cleaning clothes under visible light irradiation (daylight source).