Preparation and Characterization of Self-cleaning Cotton Fabrics Loaded with Self-dispersive and Reactive BiVO4

BiVO4 was prepared by Bi(NO3)3·5H2O and NH4VO3 via a facial method. (3-acrylamide propyl) trimethyl ammonium chloride (ATAC) and allyl glycidyl ether (AGE) were reacted with 3-mercaptopropyl triethoxysilane (KH590) under ultraviolet irradiation, respectively, to prepare hydrophilic and reactive components. Then self-dispersive and reactive BiVO4 nanoparticles were acquired after mixing hydrophilic and reactive components. Cotton fabric loaded with self-dispersive and reactive BiVO4 was obtained by dipping-drying-curing method. BiVO4 before and after modification was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), zeta potential and particle size. X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM and energy dispersive spectrum (EDS) were adopted to characterize crystal structure, surface morphology and chemical element components of cotton fabric. Ultraviolet protection and self-cleaning performance were investigated. Results showed that the dispersion stability of modified BiVO4 was improved, and cotton fabric loaded with modified BiVO4 possessed commendable ultraviolet protection and self-cleaning activities. The modified BiVO4 with mole ratio of ATAC and AGE at 3:2 had the optimized dispersion stability, and the cotton fabric loaded with it featured the best ultraviolet protection and self-cleaning properties. The possible mechanism and reactions for the binding of BiVO4 with cotton fabrics was proposed.