Room-temperature synthesis of single-phase anatase TiO2 by aging and its self-cleaning properties.

A facile process to synthesize single-phase anatase titanium dioxide nanocrystallites at room temperature was presented. The process included a sol-gel reaction in an aqueous media followed by aging at room temperature. The anatase TiO2 was characterized using XRD, TEM and SEM. The cotton fabrics-coated by the anatase nanocrystallites possessed significant photocatalytic self-cleaning properties as demonstrated by their ability to decompose a colorant and degrade red wine and coffee stains, which was equivalent to that of prepared by heating or hydrothermal methods described previously. The anatase TiO2-coated cotton substrate also showed a high UPF rating of 50+, which means excellent UV protection to human wearers. The study of the adhesion between the anatase TiO2 and the cotton substrate showed that even after 20 times of repeated launderings, the-coated substrate was still capable of decomposing stains, which indicated its photocatalytic power, though this was reduced compared to that before laundering. The tensile strength results of the anatase TiO2-coated cotton fabrics indicate that the anatase TiO2 will not damage the cotton substrate even after 20 h of continuous UV irradiation. The method of preparing single-phase anatase TiO2 revealed in this study not only eliminates the need for high temperature processing, which means energy saving, but also broadens its applications to poor acid-resistant and low thermal stability materials such as many of the biomaterials and cellulosic materials.