Preparation Of TiO₂ Photocatalyst And Its Ultraviolet Resistance Performance On Cotton Fabric

Nanometer titania has been widely used in such fields as semiconductor, catalyst and functional finish of textile because of its stable chemical property, nontoxicity, low cost, reasonable photocatalytic and ultraviolet resistance performance. Among the modification mothods carried out to improve the photocatalytic capacity of nano-scaled titania, metal ion doping is the most common and efficient one, however, few studies about co-doping of two different elements may be found. In this paper, the properties of Ce, Cu, Ag doped and co-doped TiO₂ were discussed. Pure and doped titania particles were prepared from Ti(OC₄H₉)₄ in the ethanol (C₂H₅OH) solvent by means of sol-gel method, and C₄H₁₁NO₂ was selected to be the inhibitor of the reaction. XRD, TEM and UV-VIS spectra were employed to characterize the nanometer particles synthesized in our laboratory. The influence of calcining temperature, doping content and the co-doping of two different elements on photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ were investigated with the photocatalytic degradation reaction of methyl orange (C₁₄H₁₄O₃N₃SNa) under ultraviolet light. The results showed that the photocatalytic activtity of TiO₂ could be improved through Cu, Ag, Ce doping and Ce-Cu, Ce-Ag co-doping modification, and the effect of co-doped TiO₂ was more prominent. A decreasing phase inversion temperature of nano-scaled titania from anatase to rutile, mini particle size and enhanced UV absorption ability could be observed through doping modification.In recent years, many studies about the coating technology of nano TiO₂ particles onto the fabric have been reported, but the direct growth technique of nonameter titania on the surface of fabrics using Ti(OC₄H₉)₄ as precursor under a lower temperature is rare. Here, the anti-ultraviolet finish on cotton fabric was carried out through dip-padding technique using Ti(OC₄H₉)₄ as precursor, which was followed with a hydrothermal treatment to form TiO₂ particles. On the basis of transmittance of ultraviolet ray, the finishing technology parameters on fabric, the influence of finishing times on the photocatalytic performance and the endurance of treated fabric were discussed. The crystal structure of titanium dioxide was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), crystallite size was calculated through Scherrer formula. The configuration and distribution of titania particles were observed with Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). The physical properties such as whiteness and tearing strength of the fabric before and after treatment were examined. The results revealed that functional finish on cotton fabric was feasible by means of sol-gel technique at low temperature. Anatase nano particles with grain size about 9nm were formed on cotton textile, and the fabrics treated with the finishing agent had excellent UV resistance, antistatic and waterproof performance.