Nanocomposite TiO2/ZnO/chitosan by method sol-gel for self-cleaning application.

Abstract

TiO₂/ZnO/Chitosan coated cotton fabric as a self-cleaning, which has been synthesized by various concentrations of TiO₂: 0.5 g, 1 g, and 2 g through the sol-gel method at pH 9. The self-cleaning test was conducted on TiO₂/ZnO/Chitosan-coated cotton fabric samples by irradiating for 15 h using UVA-UVB lamps with clothing stain dye. TiO₂/ZnO/Chitosan composite's structural properties were analyzed from X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra, chemical bonding by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), and bandgap by quantitative analysis from UV-visible spectroscopy. The XRD diffraction peaks showed a slight shift to the right, except for the sample with the highest TiO₂ concentration, which showed a more significant shift. FTIR spectra showed the presence of Ti-O-Ti bonds at wavenumbers 500 cm^-1 - 700 cm^-1, which identified the presence of TiO₂, and at wavenumber 3485 cm^-1, which was used for stretching-OH and -NH₂ of chitosan. The band gaps were 5.64 eV, 5.63 eV, and 5.58 eV for TiO₂: 0.5 g, 1 g, and 2 g, respectively. The self-cleaning test showed that the best results were in the TiO2 sample with a concentration of 2 g at pH 9, where the dye successfully disappeared after exposure to UVA-UVB lamps for 15 h of irradiation.