Development of photo-induced Ag0/TiO2 nanocomposite coating for photocatalysis, self-cleaning and antimicrobial polyester fabric

Materials with multifunctional surface, such as UV shielding, self-cleaning or antimicrobial properties have been highly desirable. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and nanocomposite nanoparticles (NPs) composed of metallic silver/titanium dioxide (Ag0/TiO2) were prepared. Both of TiO2 nanoparticles and Ag0/TiO2 nanocomposite were coated onto the surface polyester fabric utilizing the straightforward pad-dry-curing technique. The morphological properties and elemental composition were determined utilizing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The resultant materials demonstrated photocatalytic and antimicrobial properties. The photocatalytic performance was studied using the photochemical destruction of methylene blue, while the antimicrobial activity was recorded against Escherichia coli. The performance of polyester fabrics comprising Ag0/TiO2 nanocomposite particles was much better than those containing pure anatase TiO2 nanoparticles.