Coating of cellulose-TiO2 nanoparticles on cotton fabric for durable photocatalytic self-cleaning and stiffness

• We coated cellulose-TiO2 nanoparticles on the surface of cotton fabric for photocatalytic self-cleaning and stiffness.
• X-ray diffraction pattern of solvent treated fabric shown that amount of cellulose II increased slightly after solvent treatment.
• Stiffness of coated cotton fabric increased significantly without affecting comfort properties.

A new route to make cotton fabric self-cleaning and permanently stiff by coating cellulose-TiO2 on its surface is demonstrated herein. Cellulose-TiO2 dispersion was used for coating and was prepared by mixing TiO2 nanoparticles with cellulose in 60% H2SO4 solution. The surface morphology of cellulose-TiO2 nanoparticles coated sample was analyzed by SEM. The appearance of white TiO2 particles on the surface of the cotton fabric confirmed the successful coating process. The Orange II dye was used as stain and its degradation was observed under UV light. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that cellulose II content increases slightly (by 5.3%) after the solvent treatment. Washing fastness study showed that the fabric stiffness was permanent and self-cleaning properties were stable with 1, 3 and 5% TiO2 coated samples. Air and water vapor permeability was not decreased considerably, whereas tensile strength was increased significantly after coating.