Electro-spray deposited TiO2 bilayer films and their recyclable photocatalytic self-cleaning strategy

Kewei Song; Yue Cui; Liang Liu; Boyang Chen; Kayo Hirose; Md Shahiduzzaman; Shinjiro Umezu

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-05633-w

Electro-spray deposited TiO₂ bilayer films and their recyclable photocatalytic self-cleaning strategy

Sci Rep. 2022 Jan 28;12(1):1582. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-05633-w.

Authors

Kewei Song¹, Yue Cui¹, Liang Liu¹, Boyang Chen¹, Kayo Hirose², Md Shahiduzzaman³, Shinjiro Umezu^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Graduate School of Creative Science and Engineering, Department of Modern Mechanical Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan.
² Anesthesiology and Pain Relief Center, The University of Tokyo Hospital, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan.
³ Nanomaterials Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan. shahiduzzaman@se.kanazawa-u.ac.jp.
⁴ Graduate School of Creative Science and Engineering, Department of Modern Mechanical Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan. umeshin@waseda.jp.
⁵ Department of Modern Mechanical Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan. umeshin@waseda.jp.

Abstract

Recyclable titanium dioxide (TiO₂)-based photocatalytic self-cleaning films (SCFs) having a bilayer structure were prepared and assessed. These SCFs comprised two layers of fibers fabricated using an electrospinning process. The self-cleaning layer was made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) fibers with embedded TiO₂ while the substrate layer was composed of fibers made by simultaneously electrospinning poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and ABS. This substrate improved the mechanical strength of the SCF and provided greater adhesion due to the presence of the PVA. The experimental results showed that the hydrophobicity (as assessed by the water contact angle), photocatalytic properties and self-cleaning efficiency of the SCF were all enhanced with increasing TiO₂ content in the ABS/TiO₂ fibers. In addition, the introduction of the substrate layer allowed the SCFs to be applied to various surfaces and then peeled off when desired. The ABS fibers effectively improved the strength of the overall film, while deterioration of the ABS upon exposure to UV light was alleviated by the addition of TiO₂. These SCFs can potentially be recycled after use in various environments, and therefore have applications in the fields of environmental protection and medical science.