Abstract:
In this study, the self-cleaning performance of the cotton fabric surface treated with TiO₂ nanosol prepared from titanium (IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) at various concentrations 5-20% (v/v) and the treated fabric was dried either at 100ºC for 5 min in a conventional oven or under ultraviolet irradiation (294 mJ/cm²) for 5 cycles. The results of self-cleaning performance of the treated cotton fabric under exposure to UV lamp or Daylight 65 (D65) lamp showed that the 20% (v/v) TTIP treated cotton fabric dried either under UV irradiation or in the oven at 100ºC for 5 min had the best ability to both decompose the reactive dye and remove coffee stain. These two abilities were better in UV lamp exposure. However, the treated cotton fabrics did not perform any antibacterial property to inhibit either Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli. For the results of physical properties, the treated cotton fabric dried under UV irradiation had higher yellowness index and tensile strength retention than those of the treated cotton fabric dried by heating at 100ºC for 5 min. Further curing or re-heating the 20% (v/v) TTIP treated cotton fabric at 150ºC for 3 min improved the reactive dye decomposition and marginally decreased the coffee stain removal. For antibacterial activity, no S.aureus and E. coli growth was observed underneath the tested specimen, but this antibacterial activity was not efficient enough to show the formation of a clear zone. The yellowness index and tensile strength retention were much worse in re-heated treated cotton fabric. The effect of increasing intensity of UV irradiation to 622 or 938 mJ/cm2 for drying the 20% (v/v) TTIP treated cotton fabric could be concluded that the higher the intensity of UV irradiation was, the better reactive dye decomposition and coffee stain removal were, the antibacterial performance also increase so that E. coli was not observed underneath of the tested specimen. The treated cotton fabric dried under the highest UV intensity showed the yellowness obviously and the tensile strength retention of the treated cotton fabric was reduced with the increase in UV intensity. The obtained XRD patterns of all the treated cotton fabrics showed the peak at 20 of 25.28º, of the anatase phase. The anatase peaks formed on the 20% (v/v) TTIP treated cotton fabric re-heated at 150ºC for 3 min or that on the treated fabric dried under high UV intensity (622 or 938 mJ/cm²) were more distinctive than those under other conditions.