Sodium alginate/chitosan-coated TiO2NPs hybrid fiber with photocatalytic self-cleaning property, UV resistance and enhanced tensile strength.

ABSTRACT

SA/CS-coated TiO2NPs hybrid fibers with photocatalytic self-cleaning properties, UV resistance and enhanced tensile strength were successfully prepared by adding CS-coated TiO2NPs to SA matrix. The FTIR and TEM results demonstrate the successful preparation of CS-coated TiO2NPs core-shell structured composite particles. SEM and Tyndall effect results showed that the core-shell particles were uniformly dispersed in the SA matrix. When the content of Core-shell particles increased from 0.1 to 0.3 wt%, the tensile strength of SA/CS-coated TiO2NPs hybrid fibers increased from 26.89 to 64.45 % compared with SA/TiO2NPs hybrid fibers. The SA/CS-coated TiO2NPs hybrid fiber (0.3 wt%) exhibits excellent photocatalytic degradation performance, achieving a 90 % degradation rate for the RhB solution. And the fibers also exhibit outstanding photocatalytic degradation performance towards various dyes and stains commonly encountered in daily life, including methyl orange, malachite green, Congo red, coffee and mulberry juice. The UV transmittance of the SA/CS-coated TiO2NPs hybrid fibers decreased significantly from 90 % to 75 % with the increase in core-shell particle addition, and correspondingly, the UV absorption capacity increased. The SA/CS-coated TiO2NPs hybrid fibers prepared lay the groundwork for potential applications in various fields, including textiles, automotive engineering, electronics and medicine.