Modification of Cotton and Leather Surfaces Using Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma and TiO2-SiO2-Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanopowders

Dragoș-Viorel Cosma; Cristian Tudoran; Maria Coroș; Crina Socaci; Alexandra Urda; Alexandru Turza; Marcela-Corina Roșu; Lucian Barbu-Tudoran; Ioana Stanculescu

doi:10.3390/ma16041397

Modification of Cotton and Leather Surfaces Using Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma and TiO₂-SiO₂-Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanopowders

Materials (Basel). 2023 Feb 7;16(4):1397. doi: 10.3390/ma16041397.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mass Spectrometry, Chromatography and Applied Physics, National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies (INCDTIM), 67-103 Donat Street, 400293 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
² Cetatea, National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies (INCDTIM), 67-103 Donat Street, 400293 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
³ Electron Microscopy Center "Prof. C. Crăciun", Faculty of Biology & Geology, "Babeș-Bolyai" University, 5-7 Clinicilor Street, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
⁴ Electron Microscopy Integrated Laboratory, National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 67-103 Donat Street, 400293 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
⁵ Analytical Chemistry and Physical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, Regina Elisabeta, no. 4-12, 030018 Bucharest, Romania.
⁶ Horia Hulubei National Institute of Research and Development for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, 30 Reactorului Str., 077125 Magurele, Romania.

Abstract

Surface modification of textile fabrics and leathers is very versatile and allows the products quality improvement. In this work, cotton and leather substrates were pre-treated with cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) and further coated with TiO₂-SiO₂-reduced graphene oxide composites in dispersion form. By using a Taguchi scheme, this research evaluated the effect of three significant parameters, i.e., the pre-treatment with CAPP, organic dispersion coating and TiO₂-SiO₂-reduced graphene oxide (TS/GR) composites, that may affect the morpho-structural properties and photocatalytic activity of modified cotton and leather surfaces. The characteristics of cotton/leather surfaces were evaluated by morphological, structural, optical and self-cleaning ability using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), attenuated total reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The self-cleaning performance of the obtained cotton and leather samples was evaluated by photocatalytic discoloration of berry juice surface stains under UV light irradiation for 12 h. The successfulness of coating formulations was proven by the SEM analysis and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The XRD patterns and ATR-FTIR spectra revealed the cellulose and collagen structures as dominant components of cotton and leather substrates. The CAPP treatment did not damage the cotton and leather structures. The photocatalytic results highlighted the potential of TiO₂-SiO₂-reduced graphene oxide composites in organic dispersion media, as coating formulations, for further use in the fabrication of innovative self-cleaning photocatalytic cotton and leather products.

Keywords: TiO2-SiO2; cold atmospheric pressure plasma; photocatalytic activity; reduced graphene oxide; self-cleaning.

Grants and funding

44 pccdi/Ministerul Cercetării și Inovării