Self-cleaning Properties of Nylon 6 Fabrics Treated with Corona and TiO2 Nanoparticles under Both Ultraviolet and Daylight Irradiations

Abstract

Nylon 6 fabric with self-cleaning properties was prepared by corona discharge pre-treatment and coating with TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) using pad-dry-cure technique. The self-cleaning property was studied by discoloration of methylene blue (MB), ketchup, tea and coffee stains from the corona+TiO2 treated nylon-6 fabric. Color difference (ΔE*), reflectance (R) and K/S of MB stain were investigated by diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry. The MB stain was almost completely removed from the corona+TiO2 treated nylon surface after 24 h under UV light/daylight irradiation. Both of these phenomena (corona and TiO2) led to an increase in the discoloration of stains under UV and daylight irradiations. The EDS analysis showed an increase in the concentration of deposited TiO2 NPs coating after corona treatment. The FE-SEM images revealed that the surface of nylon 6 was coarser after the corona treatment. Also, the FE-SEM micrographs exhibited that a uniform layer of TiO2 NPs was formed on the corona treated nylon fabric. The corona+TiO2 treated nylon illustrated antibacterial activity against E. coli and B. subtillis microorganisms. The EDS and FE-SEM analysis confirmed that after 5 washing cycles, the amount of TiO2 NPs was higher on the surface of corona+TiO2 treated nylon than that of the fabric only treated with TiO2 without corona pretreatment. This result justifies that the corona+TiO2 treated nylon fabric with appropriate self-cleaning property can be applied cost-effectively in the textile industry.