The Photocatalytical Properties of RGO/TiO₂ Coated Fabrics

• Main Authors: Magdalena Olak-Kucharczyk, Grażyna Szczepańska, Marcin H. Kudzin, Marcin Pisarek
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
• Series: Coatings
• Subjects: RGO/TiO₂ coated fabrics; functionalized polyamide fabric; functionalized cotton fabric; photocatalysis; photocatalytic textiles; photodegradation of phenol
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/10/11/1041

The aim of this work was to immobilize reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) on the surface of selected fibrous structures. Textile fabrics made of cotton (CO) and polyamide (PA) were used as a carrier. The following modification methods were applied: coating for modification of PA and dip-coating for modification of CO. In the dip-coating method, no auxiliaries were used, which is a huge advantage. The RGO/TiO₂ coated fabrics were characterized using several techniques: ultraviolet–visible (UV–VIS) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The obtained results showed the immobilization of RGO and TiO₂ on the fabrics. Raw fabrics absorb much less radiation than coated ones, which is associated with strong absorption of radiation by applied modifiers (RGO and TiO₂). Photocatalytic activity of functionalized textiles was determined using aqueous phenol solutions. Phenol removal efficiency obtained for RGO/TiO₂coated CO and RGO/TiO₂coated PA was 51% and 46%, respectively. The hydroxyl radicals play a major role in the phenol photocatalytic degradation. The phenol removal efficiency in the fifth cycle was higher (about 14% and 8% for RGO/TiO₂coated CO and RGO/TiO₂coated PA, respectively) compared to the first cycle.