Preparation of Multifunctional Plasma Cured Cellulose Fibers Coated with Photo-Induced Nanocomposite toward Self-Cleaning and Antibacterial Textiles

Multifunctional fibrous surfaces with ultraviolet protection, self-cleaning, or antibacterial activity have been highly attractive. Nanocomposites consisting of silver (AgNPs) and titanium dioxide (TiO(2) NPs) nanoparticles (Ag/TiO(2)) were developed and coated onto the surface of viscose fibers employing a straightforward pad–dry–cure procedure. The morphologies and elemental compositions were evaluated by scan electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectra (FTIR), and energy-dispersion X-ray spectra (EDS). The resultant multifunctional textile materials displayed antibacterial and photo-induced catalytic properties. The photocatalyzed self-cleaning properties were investigated employing the photochemical decay of methylthioninium chloride, whereas the antibacterial properties were studied versus E. coli. The viscose fibers coated with Ag/TiO(2) nanocomposite demonstrated improved efficiency compared with viscose fibers coated with pure anatase TiO(2) nano-scaled particles.