Facile preparation of anatase/SiO2 spherical nanocomposites and their application in self-cleaning textiles

Abstract

Anatase TiO 2 /SiO 2 nanocomposites were prepared by a sol-gel process at a low temperature. The structural properties of these as-prepared nanocomposites were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), showing that TiO 2 nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of SiO 2 spheres. The spherical TiO 2 /SiO 2 nanocomposites were coated onto cotton fabrics by a simple dip-pad-dry-cure process. The treated cotton fabrics demonstrated higher photocatalytic activity in comparison to pure TiO 2 treated cotton fabrics in a typical photocatalytic test using a model compound of Neolan Blue 2G dye. Our results demonstrate that this composite material is a step towards better self-cleaning performance of textile materials.

Magnetically Recoverable Core–Shell Nanocomposites with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

“…[33][34][35] Another reason is the SiO 2 /TiO 2 composite structure, which has been reported in many papers to show enhancement in the overall photocatalytic efficiency. [32,36] In addition, the Fe 3 O 4 core has essentially no contribution to the photocatalytic activity. The SiO 2 layer may prevent photogenerated electrons transferring into the lower lying conduction band of the iron oxide core, thus eliminating the possible photodissolution of iron oxide in the aqueous reaction medium.…”

Evaluating Strategies For Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials

“…Direct dermal contact with nanomaterials is likely to occur through usage of clothing, cosmetics, wound dressings or dermal drug delivery treatments containing nanomaterials (Muller et al, 2002;Vanrolleghem and Lee, 2003;Emerich and Thanos, 2007;Qi et al, 2007;Maneerung et al, 2008). In the case of dermal drug delivery, nanomaterials are designed for enhanced skin penetration; however, for other cases such as occupational or environmental exposure, this is an undesired effect.…”

Hydrotalcite and nanometric silica as finishing additives to enhance the thermal stability and flame retardancy of cotton

“…In this manner, the incorporation of organic compounds into an inorganic structure without any decomposition step is easily achievable. The subsequent ageing/drying step results in the production of powders, xerogels, aerogels, fibres, or coatings (Schramm et al 2004) for different purposes, such as for self-cleaning textiles (Qi et al 2007), for flame retardancy applications Alongi et al , 2011, and so on.…”