Photocatalytic, antibacterial, and deodorization activity of recycled triacetate cellulose nanocomposites

In this study, industrial waste triacetate cellulose (TAC) film was used for electrospinning by combining the concepts of mixed solvents system and steam induced phase separation to prepare porous fiber membranes. Recycled TAC (rTAC) was used as the host matrix for the preparation of nanocomposites with titanium dioxide (TiO2)/silver vanadate (Ag3VO4)/graphene (Gp) photocatalytic nanoparticles, and 3-Aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane (APTMS) was used as a coupling agent. The photocatalytic performance of TiO2/Ag3VO4/Gp regarding photo degradations of Rhodamine B (RhB), methylene orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) dyes were examined. The photocatalytic performance of TiO2/Ag3VO4/GP/APTMS/rTAC nanocomposites towards photodegradation of MB, the acetate deodorization ability and antimicrobial activity were studied. The porous fibers and photocatalytic nanoparticles were designed to absorb and decompose organic acetate, respectively. The result showed that the as prepared TiO2/Ag3VO4/Gp exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity towards photodegradation of RhB, MO, and MB. TiO2/Ag3VO4/Gp displayed high rate of MB dye photodegradation about 5 and 115 times faster than pure Ag3VO4 and TiO2, respectively. The prepared TiO2/Ag3VO4/GP/APTMS/rTAC nanocomposites exhibited a photocatalytic degradation efficiency of 99% for MB, strong antibacterial activity, and 100% deodorization. TiO2/Ag3VO4/GP/APTMS/rTAC nanocomposite presented photocatalytic performance about 1.2 times faster than that of TiO2/Ag3VO4/Gp photocatalytic nanoparticles. Thus, this multifunctional nanocomposite is promising for the photocatalytic photodegradation of dyes, as an antimicrobial and deodorizing substance.