Microwave‐assisted preparation of pyrite and its sensitisation of titanium dioxide in self‐cleaning aramid fabrics

Abstract

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) dispersions were obtained by neutralising anatase nano‐titanium dioxide sols prepared by hydrolysing tetrabutyl titanate in acidic aqueous media. Pyrite was initially prepared via the microwave‐assisted method with a mixed solvent of ethylene glycol and small amounts of water, and was then used in sensitising micron‐sized titanium dioxide particles to obtain aramid fabrics with self‐cleaning properties. X‐ray diffraction demonstrated the crystalline structure of pyrite, and ultraviolet‐visible (UV‐vis) spectrum and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy characterised the band gaps, surface status on fabrics and the distribution of the pyrite compound's titanium dioxide particles. The contact angle, UV protection factor (UPF) and photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) were used to evaluate the performance of treated aramid fabrics. Results show that pyrite‐sensitised titanium dioxide compounds obtained at pH 5 have smaller band gap energies and relatively poor wetting abilities, higher UPF values, and perform well in the photocatalytic degradation of MB. The pseudo‐first kinetic model was used to analyse elaborate sections of the curve for the degradation of MB.

Photocatalytic Treatments for Personal Protective Equipment: Experimental Microbiological Investigations and Perspectives for the Enhancement of Antimicrobial Activity by Micrometric TiO2

“…In these experiments, no chemical or physical carriers were used to bind particles to the mask surface; however, several methods are available for coating different matrices, including textiles or other materials used for face masks and PPE (Table 2) [71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80]. For example, among the different available techniques, the combination of natural polymers, such as chitosan (CS) with inorganic materials, such as titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), to obtain hybrid composites (CS-TiO 2 ), seems promising for both increased stability and enhanced antimicrobial properties [81,82].…”

“…[ 71,72] Electrospray A suspension of TiO 2 is dissolved in a polar solvent, nebulized at atmospheric pressure inside the ionization chamber through a needle held at a high electric potential. [73] Dip coating, spray coating Deposition of a wet liquid film by immersion of the fabric into a solution containing hydrolysable metal compounds (or readily formed particles) and its withdrawal at a constant speed into an atmosphere containing water vapor.…”

In-Situ Functionalization of Cotton Fabric by TiO2: The Influence of Application Routes

“…In the functionalization of textiles, TiO 2 synthesis can be carried out using various precursors, the most common of which include titanium tetraisopropoxide [15,[18][19][20][21][22][23], titanium butoxide [24][25][26], titanium chloride [27][28][29], titanium oxysulfate hydrate [30], ammonium hexafluorotitanate [31], potassium titanium oxalate [32], and tetrabutyl titanate [33]. Both ex-situ and in-situ methods can be used for TiO 2 synthesis; however, in-situ synthesis has several advantages.…”

“…For example, during in-situ synthesis, textile fibers in the TiO 2 precursor solution act as stabilizers that prevent the agglomeration of particles, resulting in the uniform distribution of smaller particles. Various synthesis routes have been used; among them, the in-situ sol-gel application technique is frequently utilized for the functionalization of textiles with TiO 2 [19,22,24,29]. In addition, in-situ hydrothermal synthesis is also commonly used to produce TiO 2 and results in a coating with optimal thickness and the high adhesion of TiO 2 to the textile surface [18,20,25,27,32,33].…”

Guest Editor

“…Microwave‐assisted preparation of self‐cleaning aramid fabrics was studied by Zheng et al ,. in which titanium dioxide suspensions were obtained by neutralising anatase nano‐titanium dioxide sols prepared by hydrolysing tetrabutyl titanate in acidic aqueous media.…”