SYNTHESIS AND STUDY OF Ag-TiO₂ NANOPARTICLES FOR APPLICATION IN SELF-CLEANING FABRICS

In this work, the Ag-TiO2 nanocomposite was prepared by sol-gel method and characterized using the Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The Ag+/Ti4+ ratio significantly influences the phase transition of TiO2 from anatase to rutile in the nanocomposite: the anatase content decreases from 94.9% to 52.6% as this ratio increases from 1.0 to 4.0 %. The initial Ag+/Ti4+ ratio of 1.0 % was chosen for further research due the highest content of TiO2 in the anatase phase. The nanoparticles are fairly monodisperse and have a spherical shape with an average size of about 18-24 nm. Self-cleaning fabric polyester (PET) was modified successfully with Ag-TiO2 nanoparticles by an immersed method. The nano composite of Ag and anatase TiO2 was coated by binder in 100-200 nm in size which coating onto the surface of fabric demonstrated self-cleaning surface with different mechanisms: hydrophobic surface as "lotus leaf" effect, photocatalytic degradation Rhodamine B under solar irradiation. The PET fabric coated with the Ag-TiO2 composite demonstrates stronger antibacterial activity (inhibition zone of 1.3 cm) compared to the fabric coated with TiO2 alone (inhibition zone of 0.8 cm). The results showed that after 6 h of irradiation, the photocatalytic activity of the Ag-TiO2/PET fabric sample is significantly better than that of the TiO2/PET fabric sample. The ability to change from hydrophobic to hydrophilic is especially promising to the interest in self-cleaning surfaces, the textile industry, and environmental cleanup.