Self-Cleaning Properties of Cotton Gauzes Impregnated with Calcium Alginate/TiO2-Ag/Reduced Graphene Oxide Composite

Nano-modified fabrics using photocatalytic materials have a vast potential for the development of new products from self-cleaning fabrics for consumer to filter membranes for separation field and/or photocatalytic degradation of various dyes from wastewater. The aim of this study was to obtain TiO2-Ag/reduced graphene oxide-treated cotton gauzes impregnated in calcium alginate matrix with self-cleaning properties. The morphological and structural properties of prepared materials were investigated by X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy and SEM analysis. Self-cleaning tests were performed by evaluation of the photodegradation of amaranth dye solution. Samples were exposed to sun light in March at Cluj-Napoca, Romania (latitude: 47°N; longitude: 24°E; altitude: 354 m) for 2 hours. No noticeable discoloration of dye was observed when the untreated cotton sample was used. TiO2-Ag composite-treated cotton gauzes display self-cleaning properties. By using TiO2-Ag/reduced graphene oxide composite, an increase in self-cleaning efficiency based on the photocatalytic amaranth degradation was obtained. The photocatalytic activity under natural environmental conditions indicates that the prepared composite has practical application to develop textile materials with self-cleaning properties.