Reactive Blue-25 dye/TiO2 coated cotton fabrics with self-cleaning and UV blocking properties

Abstract

Cotton fabrics have been used in a variety of applications due to its attractive properties of softness, comfort, warmth, biodegradability and breathability. Coating cotton fabrics with photocatalytic materials can extend their use as self-cleaning and other practical applications. In this study, coating of cotton fabrics with dye sensitized/TiO2 for self-cleaning and UV blocking properties has been reported. Phthalocyanine based reactive dye, Reactive Blue-25 (RB-25), has been used as a visible light scavenger for TiO2. RB-25/TiO2 hybrid sol was prepared by sol–gel method and coated on the cotton fabrics via dip-pad-dry-cure method. The coated cotton fabric was characterized by FTIR-ATR, UV–Visible absorption, XRD, SEM and reflectance measurements. The surface studies confirmed the stable attachment of RB-25/TiO2 on the cotton fabric while photocatalytic and UV absorption studies shown that the RB-25/TiO2 coated cotton fabric exhibit substantial visible light driven self-cleaning and UV blocking properties. Rhodamine B (RhB) dye was used as to examine the photocatalytic efficiency of the coated cotton fabric. 91% RhB was degraded in 180 min when exposed to visible light in the presence of RB-25/TiO2 coated cotton fabric.