Preparation of Fe-doped TiO2 nanoparticles immobilized on polyamide fabric

Abstract

A thin layer of nano-scaled Fe-doped TiO2 particles prepared by hydrothermal method is immobilized on the surface of polyamide 6 (PA6) fiber using tetrabutyl titanate as the precursor, ferric trichloride as the doping agent and chitosan as the dispersant agent. The morphology, crystal structure, thermal behavior, composition and chemical structure of PA6 fabric before and after treatments are characterized by means of scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis techniques. The properties of diffuse reflectance spectrum, tensile, air permeability, whiteness, yellowness and photocatalytic activity are also analyzed. It is found that the anatase phase Fe-doped TiO2 nanoparticles with crystal size of 12nm or so are synthesized, and simultaneously grafted onto the fiber surface during the processing. Compared with the TiO2-coated fabric, the thermal stability of the Fe-doped TiO2-coated fabric changes a little. The absorption ability to ultraviolet (UV) rays and visible light is greatly improved. The breaking force and breaking elongation increase to some extent because of the shrinkage of fabric. The air permeability decreases distinctly. The color of PA6 fabric changes from white to light brownish because of the introduction of ferric trichloride. The photocatalytic activity of methylene blue decolorization is enhanced under sunlight and UV irradiation.