Titania and titania nanocomposites on cellulosic fibers: Synthesis, characterization and comparative study of photocatalytic activity

Titania and titania nanocomposites (doped by Ag, Zr, and Ag–Zr) were coated on cellulosic fibers via sol–gel dip-coating method. The resulted coated-fibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and BET surface area measurement. Photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites coated-fibers was determined by photomineralisation of methylene blue (MB) and eosin yellowish (EY) under UV–Vis light. The progress of photodegradation of dyes was monitored by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The XRD of all samples display anatase-type structure. All samples demonstrated photo-assisted self-cleaning properties when exposed of titania composites to UV–Vis irradiation. The Ag–Zr co-doped titania nanocomposite was found to be the most significant photoactive coatings in comparison with other samples. Our results showed that the synergistic action between the silver and the zirconium species in the Ag–Zr TiO2 nanocomposite is due to both the structural and the electronic properties of the photoactive anatase phase. This report unequivocally indicates that modification of titania by co-doping is an effective method for increasing the photocatalytic activity.