Iran produces self-cleaning coatings for textile industries

Iranian researchers at Gilan University synthesized self-cleaning coatings for the textile industries and in building different surfaces. The coating has been made by synthesizing titanium dioxide nanoparticles dopes with silver and zirconium on polyacrylonitrile fibers, and it has photocatalytic self-cleaning properties. The aim of this research was to synthesize titanium dioxide nanoparticles doped with silver and zirconium, and also to synthesize a joint doped sample by using silver and zirconium (Ag-Zr-TiO2) on polyacrylonitrile fibers to investigate their photocatalytic self-cleaning properties. Recent studies on the modification of photocatalytic properties of TiO2 through co-doping process show that the photocatalytic properties of TiO2 improve due to the strengthening of the doping ions. In this research, too, the strengthening and interaction between silver and zirconium in Ag-Zr-TiO2 nanocomposite improves the photocatalytic properties of TiO2 in its photocatalytic self-cleaning behavior. Taking into consideration the fact that this project can be used in textile industries and in the production of self-cleaning surfaces, the researchers will synthesize in their future projects the nanocomposites of titanium dioxide and other semi-conductors on various surfaces to study their photocatalytic properties. Results of the research have been published in details in Journal of Applied Polymer Science, vol. 125, issue 7, pp. 3778-3789.