Antibacterial, self-cleaning and UV blocking of wool fabric coated with nano Ce/ZnO and Ce/ TiO2

Abstract

Ultrasonic method has been used in order to load nano Ce, ZnO and TiO₂ on the surface of wool fabric. Three types of nano composite fabric have been prepared (wool /Ce, wool /Ce/ZnO, and wool /Ce/ TiO₂) and their physical properties are examined. Field emission scanning electron microscope images of the samples show a good distribution of nano material, and EDX and XRD findings prove the amount usage of nano materials. On the other hand, elemental mapping is used to study separately the distribution of each nano material. Antibacterial property of the samples shows excellent result against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Also, UV blocking of treated samples shows low transmission from all samples, when exposed to ultra violet irradiation. Self-cleaning property of wool samples illustrates that doping of nano materials on the surface of wool fabric has an excellent effect on increasing the self-cleaning efficiency.