Cotton fabric finished by PANI/TiO2 with multifunctions of conductivity, anti-ultraviolet and photocatalysis activity

Abstract Polyaniline/titanium dioxide (PANI/TiO 2 ) were co-doped with sulfosalicylic (SSA) and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) and then deposited onto the surface of cotton fabrics in one-step in-situ polymerization. PANI/TiO 2 composites were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), while the surface morphologies of the cotton fabrics were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The conductivity of prepared PANI/TiO 2 /cotton composites was measured by four-probe method and results showed that it decreased slightly with the increase of TiO 2 concentration. The conductivity would be up to 8.8 ‍S/cm at concentration of TiO 2 4 g/L. The UPF value of PANI/TiO 2 /cotton composites was significantly enhanced, even if after washing for 10 times. The photocatalytic results showed that absorption and degradation efficiency of PANI/TiO 2 /cotton composites to rhodamine B (RHB) could reach up to 87.67%, which might be due to the synergistic effects of PANI and TiO 2 .