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Recycling of photocatalyst in wastewater treatment is a big challenge. Fixation of photocatalyst on a flexible surface of solid substrates is a promising solution. In this work, copper ferrite (CuFe 2 O 4) particles were loaded onto polydopamine (pDA) pretreated ceramic/polyester fabrics (CPF) via coprecipitation. The CPF not only acts as loading material for CuFe 2 O 4 particles, but also makes this photocatalyst convenient to recycle. The morphology, elemental composition and structure of the as-fabricated CPF/CuFe 2 O 4 were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The degradation rate of methylene blue (MB) by the CPF/CuFe 2 O 4 photocatalyst reached to 98.2% under visible light irradiation for 80 min, reflecting the excellent photocatalytic activity of the composites. The CPF/CuFe 2 O 4 demonstrated good photostability and recoverability, indicating its great potential in wastewater treatment. Moreover, the degradation mechanism and possible degradation pathway of MB by CPF/CuFe 2 O 4 photocatalyst were investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CuO/BiVO 4 (BVO) nanocomposite photocatalyst was immobilized on cotton fabrics through polydopamine (PDA) templating for multiple application including highly efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysis, antimicrobial activity and UV protection. The morphology and structure of CuO/BVO nanocomposites and the coated fabrics were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), Ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectra (UV–vis DRS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The functionalized cotton fabrics were found to be highly effective in degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation with stability and recyclability, and about 97.7% of MB aqueous solution was degraded after 200 min exposure with 92.1% of the photocatalytic activity preserved even after five recycles. The mechanism of enhanced photocatalytic activity was proposed. The coated fabrics also demonstrated to be UV protective and antimicrobial. This work will benefit the development of durable and recyclable textile based photocatalysts with multiple function. Unlabelled Image • CuO/BiVO 4 nanocomposite photocatalyst was immobilized on cotton fabrics. • Polydopamine (PDA) template was introduced to enhance anchor the nanocomposite. • Efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysis was achieved with mechanism revealed. • The nanocomposites also showed antimicrobial activity and UV protection. • This textile-based nanocomposite has great application potential in multiple area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A flexible and effective substrate for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) detection has been developed by dip coating of triangular silver nanoplates (TSNPs) onto cotton fabrics. The morphology, chemical composition and crystalline structure of the coated cotton fabrics were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. These results confirmed the presence and well dispersion of the TSNPs on the surface of cotton fabrics. p -aminothiophenol (PATP) has been used as the probe molecule to evaluate the performance of the coated cotton fabrics as a flexible SERS substrate, and the PATP in diluted solutions can be detected with the concentration as low as 10 −8  M. The results indicate that the TSNPs-coated fabrics exhibit sensitive SERS signals with excellent reproducibility and stability. The flexible SERS substrate has been demonstrated to rapidly detect carbaryl pesticides on fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized by a chemical reduction method that reduced silver nitrate with sodium borohydride. Hydrolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) in concentrated alkaline solution produced a carboxyl-enriched surface. The ultrathin multilayer films were fabricated by sequential adsorption of the positively charged poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and negatively charged AgNPs colloid solution on PET substrates by an layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly technique. The multilayer film growth process on PET substrates was monitored by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The surface morphology and chemical composition of the multilayer film was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), scanning probe microscope (SPM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that the AgNPs were uniformly dispersed on the PET film as metallic silver state. The surface wettability of multilayer film was investigated using sessile drop method. The results suggest that the PET films after assembled 10-bilayer PDDA/AgNPs multilayer films exhibits good antibacterial property. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:1161-1168, 2015. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Implementing in situ hydrothermal growth of Cu NPs on textiles. • Introducing polydopamine as a template to facilitate growing nanoparticles. • Fibrous structure has been preserved with nanoparticles deposited on fibers. • Durable and highly-flexible textile based wearable sensor was developed. Incorporating conductive components into fibrous structure for wearable applications has attracted research attention recently. However, utilizing the flexibility and wearability of textiles to maintain a stable and durable wearable performance is a big challenge, as the intrinsic properties of textiles and the conductivity of the incorporated components have to work synergically in the fibrous system without compromising. In this work, polydopamine-templated PET fabrics were prepared to grow copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) on the surface of the knitted PET fabrics. The surface morphology, chemical composition and crystalline structure of the Cu NP-coated PET fabrics were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that Cu NP layer was successfully deposited onto the polydopamine-templated PET fabrics. The fabrics showed excellent electrical conductivity due to the loading of Cu NPs. The unique knitted structure together with the durable deposition of Cu NPs resulted in negative change in electrical resistance of the fabrics under strains, granting the fabrics the potential in wearable applications. The Cu NP-coated PET fabrics were demonstrated to be applicable as wearable strain sensors and electrical heaters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]