Photocatalytic response of plasma functionalized and sonochemically TiO2/BiOBr coated fabrics for self-cleaning application

Sonochemical synthesis of nanophotocatalysts to produce functionalized fabrics is gaining significant attention worldwide. This study deals with coating sonochemically synthesized TiO2 and TiO2/BiOBr photocatalysts on pre-coating plasma functionalized cotton fabric. The photocatalytic activity of pristine, plasma-functionalized, and photocatalyst-coated fabrics was checked by degrading methyl red, Rhodamine B, and methyl orange under sunlight irradiation. The surface morphology, optical properties, structure, and purity of the coating material were elaborated using UV-visible spectroscopy, electrical resistivity measurements, x-ray diffraction measurements, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy analysis, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The nanoparticle-coated fabrics significantly reduced the photoluminescence intensity compared to plasma-functionalized fabrics. The TiO2/BiOBr decorated fabric had significantly higher photocatalytic efficiency than all other fabric samples. This photocatalyst showed 84% efficiency against Rhodamine B, 58% against methyl orange, and 55% against methyl red. The-self-cleaning UV protection applications of these photocatalyst-decorated fabrics are suggested in this study.