Reduced graphene oxide/TiO2 nanocomposites coating of cotton fabrics with antibacterial and self-cleaning properties. (September 2019) - Stan, Miruna S
Textile materials can be easily used as a support for the nano-decoration with active particles in order to gain new features such as self-cleaning, antimicrobial efficiency, water repellency, mechanical strength, color change and protection against ultraviolet radiations. In this context, our present research reports the fabrication and characterization (physico-chemical analysis and surface morphology) of cotton fabrics treated with reduced graphene oxide decorated with two types of TiO2 nanoparticles co-doped with 1% iron and nitrogen atoms (TiO2 /rGO NPs) and synthesized in different hydrothermal conditions by a simultaneous precipitation of Ti 3+ and Fe 3+ ions to achieve their uniform distribution or after a sequential precipitation of these two cations for obtaining a higher concentration of iron on the surface of Ti 4+ oxyhydroxide. Further, the antimicrobial efficiency of these TiO2 /rGO-treated textiles and their influence on human cells were assessed. We demonstrated the successful development of TiO2 /rGO coating of cotton fabrics which are harmless for human skin cells and inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis . These findings confirm their great potential as novel graphene-based materials for biomedical and photocatalytic applications and this approach could be used for the large-scale fabrication of innovative self-cleaning and antimicrobial textiles.