Microbial contamination is a major challenge in a wide variety of fields, such as the biomedical, food, water, polymer, textile and paper industries. Paper made from fibers can be a vehicle for the growth and dissemination of pathogens. Recently, it has been of interest to incorporate hygienic properties in paper products by adding inorganic particles with known antibacterial activity. In recent years, effective methods for the synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles have been gaining attention due mainly to the TiO2 photocatalytic activity to impart bactericidal properties, and resistance to biofilm formation. In this work we used never-dried cellulose fibers loaded with nano-TiO2particles, synthesized in situ by ultrasound from the hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP). An advantage of a paper made from never-dried fibers is that it offers a high specific surface area where active materials can be deposited. Paper samples were prepared from TiO2-loaded fibers and their antibacterial properties were evaluated against Escherichia coli. The crystallinity and morphology of TiO2 particles were examined by means of XRD, SEM and DLS. Also, the influence of the TiO2 particles on the physical properties of paper were assessed. The presence of TiO2 in the anatase form was confirmed by means of XRD. The main physico-mechanical properties of paper loaded with TiO2 were not affected significantly, which means that the incorporation of inorganic nanoparticles by sonosynthesis had no effect on the fiber integrity and the interfiber bonding. Significant antibacterial effect was observed when TiO2-functionalized fibers in a paper web where exposed to UV light. The synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles in situ offers a facile one-pot procedure for the incorporation of compounds of interest, in this case, taking advantage from the vast surface area exhibited by never-dried pulp fibers.

In situ sonosynthesis of photo-catalytic TiO2 nanoparticles on cellulose fibers

2019 Spring National Meeting

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