Photocatalytic Self-Cleaning of Wool Fibers Coated with Synthesized Nano-Sized Titanium Dioxide

Nano-sized TiO2 was successfully synthesized and deposited onto wool fibers using the sol-gel process at ambient temperature. The prepared samples were characterized using several structural, textural, and morphological techniques. The electron micrographs show formation of TiO2 nanoparticles 10-30nm in size. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2-coated wool fibers was investigated through the solid-phase self-cleaning of methylene blue (MB) under UV-vis irradiation by the diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) method. The fibers' structure is not altered upon light exposure. This preparation technique can also be applied to new fabrics to create self-cleaning and UV irradiation protection properties in them.