Characterization of TiO2/TiO2-SiO2 Coated Cellulose Textiles

This paper describes work directed at forming nanoparticle-populated titanium surfaces on man-made cellulose fibers that facilitate photocatalysis. One of the techniques placed a spacer of silica (SiO2) between the tethered titanium nanoparticles and the underlying cellulose. While the latter treatment provided the best protection of the cellulose from the damage facilitated by the titanium particle when exposed to sunlight, the former provided better photocatalysis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed particle morphology of TiO2 nanoparticles captured by the silica network. In that way silica is used as a binder between TiO2 nanoparticles and cellulose fibers. The differences in surface morphologies between TiO2 and TiO2-SiO2 coatings were detected using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, the results of streaming potential measurements (U-S) clearly indicate changes of the fibers' surface properties, which confirmed the presence of TiO2 and SiO2 particles, respectively.