Facile preparation of anatase/SiO₂ spherical nanocomposites and their application in self-cleaning textiles

Anatase TiO₂/SiO₂ nanocomposites were prepared by a sol-gel process at a low temperature. The structural properties of these as-prepared nanocomposites were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), showing that TiO₂ nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of SiO₂ spheres. The spherical TiO ₂/SiO₂ nanocomposites were coated onto cotton fabrics by a simple dip-pad-dry-cure process. The treated cotton fabrics demonstrated higher photocatalytic activity in comparison to pure TiO₂ treated cotton fabrics in a typical photocatalytic test using a model compound of Neolan Blue 2G dye. Our results demonstrate that this composite material is a step towards better self-cleaning performance of textile materials. © The Royal Society of Chemistry.