Cotton is natural fiber which possesses comfort, soft touch, durability, water absorbency, breathable and easy maintenance. However, the cotton fabric is extremely susceptible to microbial attack. To overcome this drawback, the nano-TiO2 was immobilized on the cotton fabrics in order to induce the antimicrobial activity. Firstly, the cotton fabrics were cationized with 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethylammonium chloride (CHTAC). A starting precursor sol (TiSol) was prepared by treating an acidic aqueous solution of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TIP) with high intensity ultrasonic processor for 5 min. The surfaces of the cationized cotton fabrics were treated by soaking in the TiSol precursor for 10 min. The surface-treated cotton fabrics were then hydrothermal reacted at 100oC for 1 hour in various reaction media, i.e H2O, TiSol in H2O, NH4OH and TiSol in NH4OH. XRD and SEM data revealed that the nano-TiO2 successfully formed and immobilized on all hydrothermal treated cotton fabrics. The crystalline phases of nano-TiO2 formed in all reaction media were mixtures of rutile and anatase. It was considered that the TiSol could electrostatic interacted with the cationized cotton and acted as nano-seeds for hydrothermal growth of nano-TiO2 on the fabric surfaces. The growth of nano-TiO2 in the NH4OH system was faster than that in the H2O system. The presence of TiSol in the hydrothermal reaction media could promote the quantity of nano-TiO2 immobilized on the cotton fabrics. This proposed technique is simple but effectively process using non-toxic chemicals and low treatment temperature; therefore, it is an environmentally friendly cotton finishing technique.

Facile immobilization of nano-TiO2 on cotton fabrics

251st National Meeting (2016)

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