Production of superhydrophobic fabric by coating silver nanoparticles doped TiO2

Keywords: Sol-gel synthesis; TiO2 and Ag NPs; Self-cleaning fabric surface; Photocatalysis; Antimicrobial; Superhydrophobicity In this study, nanoparticles (Ag NPs) decorated titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanocomposites were coated to produce an industrial-scale hydrophobic surface on fabric with versatile properties. Super-hydrophobic surfaces were obtained by depositing TiO2-poly (dimethylsiloxane)-Ag NPs synthesized with sol-gel onto fabrics. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyzes confirmed the crystal structure of rutile TiO2 and Ag NP suitable for photocatalytic studies. According to field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) studies, surface hydrophobicity increased as surface roughness increased due to accumulation of Ag NPs on fabric. Water contact angle (WCA) values were increased sequentially by the addition of TiO2, poly (dimethylsiloxane) and Ag NPs to the coating composition and the WCA value was determined to be ~ 153 ° when a complete composite was deposited. Ag NPs showed an antibacterial effect on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The photocatalyst activity of the TiO2 enhanced due to the formation of the Schottky barrier at the Ag NPs-TiO2 interface by the doped of Ag NPs, and Ag-TiO2 caused the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye in solution. As a result, fabric coatings with superhydrophobic, self-cleaning and antibacterial properties have been produced. This coating material can be applied to industrial size fabric coatings and other surfaces for making superhydrophobic multifunctional surfaces.