Photocatalytically Active Cotton Fabrics Produced with Anatase Synthesized Using a Low-Temperature Sol-Gel Process

Abstract

In this work two different hydrosols were used to impregnate a commercially available cotton fabric with anatase nanoparticles to give it photocatalytic activity. To increase the activity, different pre-treatment methods were applied. The nanoparticle size was determined using dynamic light scattering and x-ray diffraction and the fabrics were examined using scanning electron microscopy. Photocatalytic activity was measured using the degradation of methyl-orange while irradiating the samples with UV light. The synthesis method allowed to produce anatase with an average particle size of 32 to 37 nm depending on the synthesis method used.