Imparting self-cleaning and antimicrobial properties to cellulosic fabrics using Ti (3+) self-doped rutile TiO₂...

Titania nanopowder was synthesized using an ecofriendly sol-gel process. The thermal behaviour of the titania gel was studied via TG/DSC, with the anatase phase beginning to crystallize at 325 °C, while the rutile phase started to develop at 525 °C. Heat treatments at different temperatures ranging from 400 °C to 750 °C were applied to the titania gel. XRD, Raman, HRTEM, and XPS techniques were used to study the structural composition of the different titania nano powders. All samples heat-treated below 503 °C were pure anatase, while samples in the range of 525 °C to 650 °C were a mixture of anatase and rutile. At temperatures >650 °C, a complete transformation to the pure rutile phase took place. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the development of a crystalline structure. HRTEM micrographs showed amorphous carbon clusters accompanied by anatase and rutile phase up to 600 °C. The existence of carbon and Ti(3+) oxidation state was revealed by XPS. DRS in the UV-VIS range illustrated that the titania samples had improved electronic and optical characteristics compared to pure commercial anatase and rutile TiO₂. The nanopowder was applied to cotton and viscose fabrics to study its antibacterial, photocatalytic, and self-cleaning properties. The obtained results showed that fabrics treated with Ti(3+)-self doped rutile TiO₂ nanopowder exhibited promising potential for industrial and medicinal applications.