A new method for in situ synthesis of Ag–TiO₂ nanocomposite particles on polyester/cellulose fabric by photoreduction and self-cleaning properties

An efficient strategy was designed to make Ag–TiO₂ nanoparticles on textile fabric by a facile single-step in situ method without adding any chemical agents. The photoreduction method was used to the synthesis of nanoparticles. The polyester/cellulose fabric was immersed in a suspension containing TiO₂ nanoparticles/AgNO₃ and then squeezed. The padded fabric was exposed directly to ultra violet (UV) light irradiation. Diffuse reflectance spectra confirmed the creation of plasmon peak for synthesized Ag–TiO₂ at 460 nm and the more absorbance from the UV to the visible region. The elemental analysis shows the formation of the metallic silver on TiO₂ nanoparticles surface by the in situ synthesis method, as evidenced by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The morphological properties and nanoparticles distribution on the fabric showed Ag–TiO₂ nanoparticles coating with even distribution and the average particle size of 27 ± 5 nm that was confirmed by field emission-scanning electron microscope images and map analysis. The Ag–TiO₂ treated fabric presented remarkable photocatalytic activities through discoloration of methylene blue stain under sunlight, UVA (400–320 nm), and UVC (290–100 nm) irradiation.