The effect of grafting a nano-TiO2 thin film on physical and mechanical properties of cellulosic natural fibers

• A 100 nm-thick film of TiO2 in the anatase form was deposited on flax fibers by Sol–Gel particle deposition.
• Hydrothermal treatment eliminates the solvent and improves the crystallinity of anatase.
• Grafting TiO2 film has significantly improve the mechanical properties of flax strands.

This study aims at functionalizing flax fibers by grafting an amphiphilic TiO2 thin film. The film was created on the fiber by the Sol–Gel technique. The fibers were firstly primed to reach a minimum possible roughness, and then were coated using the dip-coat method. The crystalline structure and the morphology of the TiO2 particles, and, the TiO2-grafted film were determined using X-ray diffraction, and Transmission Electron Microscopy. Mechanical properties of the TiO2-grafted flax strands were investigated by a tensile test. Dynamic contact angle tensiometer was used to probe the differences between wettability of the TiO2-grafted and non-grafted flax strands. The results show that the particles obtained from the Sol–Gel technique created a 100 nm-thick film of TiO2 in the anatase form. The statistical evaluation of the tensile tests exhibits a significant improvement in mechanical properties of the TiO2-grafted flax strands. Moreover, the TiO2 coated flax fibers show a wide range of wetting angles in comparison with the other samples.

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