Grafting of N-doped titania nanoparticles synthesized by the plasma-assisted method on textile surface for sunlight photocatalytic self-cleaning applications

The surface of textile fibers were coated with nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanoparticles obtained from an aqueous solution of TiCl3 via a plasma-assisted oxi-precipitation process at atmospheric pressure. The photocatalytic activities hence self-cleaning properties of the coated fabrics were investigated. The structural analysis was characterized by FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; while the surface morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). As a result, it was demonstrated that visible, efficient photocatalyst with both anatase and ruffle TiO2 phases and average grain size of 8-12 nm were synthesized and grafted durably onto the textile even after three successive washes in hard conditions. The coated fabrics exhibited a stable and promising photocatalytic property and therefore could be a good candidate to manufacture long life self-cleaning clothes under visible light irradiation (daylight source).