Synthesis and properties of ZnO on nonwoven PET fiber

Abstract

Nano-ZnO was synthesized on PET fiber by two-step hydrothermal method. The morphology of the product is normalized, and it has good catalytic and antibacterial properties. • High-density ZnO was synthesized on PET fiber by a simple two-step hydrothermal method. • The ZnO@PET synthesized at 90 ℃ has the best morphology and crystallinity. • ZnO@PET exhibits the basic characteristics of ZnO, and has good photocatalytic and antibacterial properties. • Water washing caused the loss of ZnO, and the antibacterial property of 62% can be maintained after 20 washing cycles. A “seed” and “late growth” two-step chemical solution method was used to synthesize ZnO nanostructures on the surface of PET fiber (ZnO@PET). The products were processed by various methods. The results showed that ZnO synthesized on the fiber surface was composed of high-density rod-shaped particles, which had a hexagonal wurtzite structure. The FTIR result indicated that the product had characteristics of PET and ZnO. The UV–vis absorption spectrum showed a strong absorption in the ultraviolet band, and the PL result showed that the emission spectrum was a continuous spectrum centered at 395 nm. Materials with good morphology and crystallization above 60 °C could be synthesized. Under 254 nm ultraviolet light irradiation, ZnO@PET completely degraded the methyl orange standard solution within 700 min. The antibacterial property of ZnO@PET against Escherichia coli was 99%. After washing 20 times, the nano-ZnO was partially peeled off, but it maintained an antibacterial rate of 62%.