Waterborne polyurethane assembly multifunctional coating for hydrophobic and antibacterial fabrics

Surface modification of fabrics is a powerful strategy that can endow fabrics with desired effects while keeping the intrinsic properties. Herein, an ordinary strategy, dipping-drying based layer-by-layer self-assembly (LbL) coating, is reported to functionalize fabrics’ surfaces. Firstly, the novel cation waterborne polyurethanes (QAHDPU) and anion waterborne polyurethanes (HDPU) are successfully designed and synthesized. By incorporating targeted molecule, hydantoin diol (HD) and quaternary ammonium salt with long alkyl chain (DOQA), the QAHDPU are antibacterial and hydrophobically functionalized. Taking advantage of strong adhesion, waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs) are physically bonded to surfaces of fabrics to generate durable antibacterial and hydrophobic fabrics. The QAHDPU with long alkyl chain combined with rough and porous fabric surface fabricates hydrophobic fabric surface, which can prevent bacteria from adhering to the fabrics. Furthermore, the coated fabrics present excellent antibacterial properties after chlorination, forming a second barrier against bacteria. The chlorinated coated fabrics, can inactivate 85.0–99.9% of Staphylococcus aureus and 85.0–97.7% of Escherichia coli with contact time of 60 min. The hydrophobic properties of coated fabrics are greatly improved with water contact angles of 122.0°–141.1°. In addition, the proposed method is applicable for a variety of fibers and expected to be used for industrial production.

Graphical abstract

     

Multifunctional PES fabrics modified with colloidal Ag and TiO2 nanoparticles

This study is aimed to highlight the possibility of engineering the multifunctional textile nanocomposite material based on the polyester (PES) fabric modified with colloidal Ag and TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs). The effects of concentration of NPs as well as the order of Ag and TiO₂ NPs loading on antimicrobial, UV protective, and photocatalytic properties of PES fabrics were examined. The antimicrobial activity of differently modified PES fabrics was tested against Gram‐negative bacterium Escherichia coli, Gram‐positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, and fungus Candida albicans. The concentration of Ag colloid and the order of Ag and TiO₂ NPs loading considerably affected the antimicrobial efficiency of PES fabrics. The fabrics provided maximum UV protection upon surface modification with Ag and TiO₂ NPs. Ag NPs enhanced Ag NPs enhanced the photodegradation activity of TiO₂ NPs and total photodegradation of methylene blue was achieved after 24 hr of UV illumination. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Anatase TiO2 nanoparticles on rutile TiO2 nanorods: a heterogeneous nanostructure via layer-by-layer assembly

We report here the use of a layer-by-layer assembly technique to prepare novel TiO2 heterogeneous nanostructures in which anatase nanoparticles are assembled on rutile nanorods. The preparation includes assembling anatase nanoparticle multilayers on rutile nanorods via electrostatic deposition using poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) as a bridging or adhesion layer, followed by burning off the polymeric material via calcination. The composition of the heterogeneous nanostructures (i.e., the anatase-to-rutile ratio) can be tuned conveniently by controlling the experimental conditions of the layer-by-layer assembly. It was found that, with the optimum preparation conditions, the heterogeneous nanostructures showed better photocatalytic activity for decomposing gaseous acetaldehyde than either the original anatase nanoparticles or the rutile nanorods. This is discussed on the basis of the synergistic effect of the existence of both rutile and anatase in the heterogeneous nanostructure.     

Novel properties of PES fabrics modified by corona discharge and colloidal TiO2 nanoparticles

The objective of this study was to highlight the potential application of the corona discharge at atmospheric pressure for the surface activation of polyester (PES) fabrics in order to improve the binding efficiency of colloidal TiO₂ nanoparticles. The obtained nanocomposite textile materials provide desirable level of UV protection, self‐cleaning properties, and photodegradation activity. The measured UV protection factor (UPF) of fabrics corresponds to UPF rating of 50+, designating the maximum UV protection. Additionally, the total photodegradation of methylene blue in aqueous solution was achieved after 24 hr of UV illumination and this capability was preserved and even improved after four repeated cycles. The results showed that the corona treated PES fabrics loaded with TiO₂ nanoparticles had considerably enhanced the overall efficiency compared to PES fabrics loaded only with TiO₂ nanoparticles. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In situ photoreduction of Ag+-ions by TiO2 nanoparticles deposited on cotton and cotton/PET fabrics

The possibility of in situ photoreduction of Ag⁺-ions using TiO₂ nanoparticles deposited on cotton and cotton/PET fabrics in the presence of amino acid alanine and methyl alcohol has been discussed. The possible interaction between TiO₂, alanine and Ag⁺-ions was evaluated by FTIR analysis. The fabrication of TiO₂/Ag nanoparticles on both fabrics was confirmed by SEM, EDX, XRD, XPS and AAS analyses. Cotton and cotton/PET fabrics impregnated with TiO₂/Ag nanoparticles provided maximum reduction of Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. Although excellent antibacterial activity was preserved after ten washing cycles, a significant amount of silver leached out from the fabrics into the washing bath. The perspiration fastness assessment revealed that smaller amounts of silver were also released from the fabrics into artificial sweat at pH 5.50 and 8.00. In addition, deposited TiO₂/Ag nanoparticles imparted maximum UV protection to fabrics.     

TiO2@Ag修饰的粉煤灰微集料增强水泥基材料光催化性能

自清洁和空气净化能力是绿色建筑发展的两个重要方向,它们不仅使建筑体向功能多样化方向发展,而且为新材料的应用提供了平台.因与大量城市环境污染物(氮氧化物,挥发性有机化合物等)直接接触,具有空气净化能力的光催化水泥基材料引起了人们广泛关注.在过去几十年里,通过使用直接喷洒到浆体表层或与水泥原材料预先共混的方法,国内外已相继将TiO2光催化材料应用到了一些实际工程中.但TiO2光催化剂在水泥基材料中高效和稳定发挥其性能仍需解决两个关键问题:(1)它在水泥基体中分散性和效能耐久性问题;(2)其量子效率和对可见光利用率问题.对于后者,目前的材料制备与改性方法,如金属、非金属改性等已能获得量子效率和可见光活性都较好的TiO2类光催化材料.研究表明,水泥水化产物(氢氧化钙、C-S-H凝胶等)的包覆、后期碳化所致气体和光线扩散孔隙的降低是导致TiO2光催化剂在水泥基材料中耐久性和利用率差的可能原因.我们前期报道了一种将纳米TiO2催化剂预先负载到水泥基材料用的多孔粗集料表面,然后将负载型催化剂整体引入到水泥基体中的催化剂应用方法,发现该法能有效提升TiO2催化剂在水泥基材料中的催化效率和耐久性.微米级活性粉煤灰具有良好的水泥基材料兼容性,通过采用简单的碱激发手段,可形成孔径小于50 nm的介孔和微孔类沸石材料,从而影响光催化材料的催化性能.因此,基于粉煤灰的特征,为了进一步提高TiO2催化剂在水泥基材料中的应用效率和催化耐久性,我们采用碱激发法获得了大比表面和介孔结构的沸石类粉煤灰材料,将其用于负载纳米TiO2催化剂,然后引入到水泥基体中,制备了沸石类粉煤灰/TiO2光催化水泥基材料,同时研究了光还原Ag修饰对沸石类粉煤灰/TiO2光催化水泥基材料的催化性能影响及其催化耐久性.结果表明,具有分级孔结构的沸石粉煤灰载体可有效提升纳米TiO2光催化剂在水泥基体中的暴露度,同时还增加了其对气相苯(200×10–6初始浓度)的光催化去除能力.最佳Ag修饰量(1.4×10–4 wt%)沸石类粉煤灰/TiO2光催化水泥样品对气相苯的光催化伪一级反应速率常数达到9.91×10–3 min?1,分别是沸石类粉煤灰/TiO2光催化水泥样品和纯TiO2光催化水泥样品效能的3和10倍.光催化稳定性结果发现,在3次催化循环后,样品对气相苯的光催化去除率仍能达到96.3%(180 min).考虑到水泥基材料碳化是影响光催化剂使用耐久性的一个关键因素,我们还评估了沸石类粉煤灰/TiO2光催化水泥样品28 d加速碳化后的光催化性能.结果表明,经过加速碳化后,样品对气相苯光催化去除率只降低了11%,相比于同条件下纯TiO2水泥样品性能,其催化耐久性显著提高,表明沸石类粉煤灰载体可有效提升TiO2在水泥基体中的催化耐久性.这可能是由于其高孔隙特性可降低周围水泥水化产物的形成量,如高钙/硅比C-S-H凝胶及氢氧化钙结晶,进而降低了这些水化产物碳化所带来的影响.     

Synthesis of ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles

We report on the synthesis of ZnO and TiO₂ nanoparticles by solution-phase methods, with a particular focus on the influence of experimental parameters on the kinetics of nucleation and coarsening. The nucleation rate of ZnO from the reaction between ZnCl₂ and NaOH in ethanol was found to increase with increasing precursor concentration, while the coarsening rate is independent of precursor concentration up to a threshold concentration. The nucleation rate of ZnO from Zn(OOC-CH₃)₂ and NaOH in n-alkanols was found to decrease with decreasing chain length, which is explained by the increase of the dielectric constant of the solvent. Due to the larger solubility of ZnO, nucleation is significantly slower than that observed in the case of TiO₂. TiO₂ nanoparticles coarsen according to the Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner model for Ostwald ripening. We also show that using amorphous titania as a base material, pure anatase and brookite nanoparticles can be synthesized.     

Near monodisperse TiO2 nanoparticles and nanorods

Highly crystalline, near monodisperse TiO2 nanoparticles, nanorods and their metal-ion-doped (Sn4+, Fe3+, Co2+, and Ni2+, etc.) derivatives have been prepared by well-controlled solvothermal reactions. Through adjusting the reaction parameters, such as reaction temperature, duration, and concentration of the reactants, the size, shape, and dispersibility of the products can be controlled. A possible reaction mechanism can be proposed based on experimental evidence.     

Chemical preparation and characterization of fibrous poly(3-methylthiophene) decorated by TiO2 nanoparticles

In this article, we report on the chemical oxidative polymerization of 3-methylthiophene (3MTh) in a concentrated TiO₂/CHCl₃ homogeneous suspension with an oxidant/monomer mole ratio of 3 at room temperature. According to the scanning electron microscopy images, in this condition, poly(3-methylthiophene) (P3MTh) was prepared with fibrous morphology decorated by nano-dimensional TiO₂ particles. P3MTh/TiO₂ was also characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. It was found that no aggregation of nanoparticles occurred during the polymerization process. In addition, the thermal stability of P3MTh/TiO₂ nanocomposite was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and compared with that of an analogously prepared neat P3MTh. The thermal degradation of P3MTh in the temperature range of 300–550°C decreases significantly due to the presence of the TiO₂ nanoparticles in the polymer composite.     

Photocatalytic TiO2 nanoparticles damage to cellular membranes and genetic supramolecules

Photocatalytic TiO₂ nanoparticles are effective photocatalyzers which can damage the cellular membranes and genetic supramolecules such as DNA. In this experiment, we observed the lesion efficacy of the photocatalytic TiO₂ nanoparticles upon the cellular membrane and genetic molecule by transmission electron microscopy and single cell gel electrophoresis assay, and the mechanisim of the cell death by photocatalytic TiO₂ nanoparticles.     

Structure and stability of small TiO2 nanoparticles

The effect of the nanostructure on the photochemistry of TiO2 is an active field of research owing to its applications in photocatalysis and photovoltaics. Despite this interest, little is known of the structure of small particles of this oxide with sizes at the nanometer length scale. Here we present a computational study that locates the global minima in the potential energy surface of Ti(n)O2n clusters with n = 1-15. The search procedure does not refer to any of the known TiO2 polymorphs, and is based on a novel combination of simulated annealing and Monte Carlo basin hopping simulations, together with genetic algorithm techniques, with the energy calculated by means of an interatomic potential. The application of several different methods increases our confidence of having located the global minimum. The stable structures are then refined by means of density functional theory calculations. The results from the two techniques are similar, although the methods based on interatomic potentials are unable to describe some subtle effects. The agreement is especially good for the larger particles, with n = 9-15. For these sizes the structures are compact, with a preference for a central octahedron and a surrounding layer of 4- and 5-fold coordinated Ti atoms, although there seems to be some energy penalty for particles containing the 5-fold coordinated metal atoms with square base pyramid geometry and dangling Ti=O bonds. The novel structures reported provide the basis for further computational studies of the effect of nanostructure on adsorption, photochemistry, and nucleation of this material.     

Change of phase by annealing on TiO2 nanoparticles

The decomposition of silver selenide and sulfide to metallic silver and chalcogen containing oxygen compounds by sintering with an equimolar mixture of sodium nitrate and nitrite was examined. It was found that 100% recovery of silver in a metal phase is reached at 5% excess of sodium nitrate and nitrite and a time of the isothermal exposure at 375 °C for 1 hour or 0.5 hours at 400°C.     

Formation of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes

Anatase TiO2 nanoparticles with a size range of 2 to 10 nm have been formed on carbon nanotubes by the controlled hydrolysis and condensation of titanium bis-ammonium lactato dihydroxide in water and electrosterically dispersed carbon nanotubes.     

One-pot synthesis of hybrid TiO2-polyaniline nanoparticles by self-catalyzed hydroamination and oxidative polymerization from TiO2-methacrylic acid nanoparticles

A simple self-catalyzed hydroamination method for creating hybrid TiO(2)-polyaniline core-shell nanoparticles (NP) has been shown. Hybrid NPs with a range of possible sizes are afforded in high yield under mild reaction conditions and simultaneously show improved charge transport and electrochromic behavior compared to either polyaniline alone or physically blended with TiO(2).     

Multicomponent polymer coating to block photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanoparticles

Chemical grafting of anti-oxidant molecules with an additional hydrophobic polymer coating directly onto TiO(2) particle surfaces, using sonochemistry, is found to eliminate photocatalytic degradation enabling highly effective screening against UV radiation.     

Photoinduced dissolution and redeposition of Au nanoparticles supported on TiO2

Au particles (mean size ca. 3 nm) supported on TiO(2) particles were irradiated by UV light (>300 nm) in aqueous solutions at 278 K. Photo-induced dissolution of Au nanoparticles followed by redeposition occurred in aqueous solutions containing halogen ions. The dissolution of Au nanoparticles yielded a Au(III) complex with a halogen ion; subsequent reduction of the Au(III) complex caused precipitation of larger Au particles on TiO(2).     

Formation of TiO2 nanoparticles in water-in-CO2 microemulsions

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles can be produced by the controlled hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide in water-in-CO2 (w/c) microemulsions stabilized with the surfactants ammonium carboxylate perfluoropolyether (PFPE-NH4) and poly(dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate-block-1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA-b-PFOMA); the greater control of hydrolysis and particle growth with PDMAEMA-b-PFOMA is consistent with the differences in the stabilities and interactions for these two microemulsions.     

TiO2 nanoparticles synthesized in an aprotic solvent and applied to prepare high-refractive-index TiO2-polyimide hybrid thin films

In this study, very small (2–5 nm) TiO₂ nanoparticles were synthesized in an aprotic solvent, N,N-dimethylacetamide, via hydrolysis and condensation of titanium alkoxide at room temperature. The synthesized TiO₂ sol showed 30 days of storage stability and could be used to prepare high-refractive-index TiO₂-polyimide hybrid thin films by an ex-situ method that involved a spin coating and multistep baking process. The field emission scanning electron microscope image showed a flat and uniform morphology of the hybrid thin film. TiO₂ domains were in the nanometer range, thus avoiding light scattering. The refractive index at 633 nm of the hybrid thin film reached 2.05, which suggested potential applications of the film to anti-reflective coatings and optical waveguides.