Photocatalytic self-cleaning and antibacterial activity of cotton fabric coated with polyaniline/carbon nitride composite for smart textile application

Abstract

We have demonstrated the efficacy of a carbon nitride/polyaniline coated cotton fabric, as a smart self-cleaning material. The preparation of carbon nitride (CN) was carried out by thermal polymerization method and polyaniline (PANI) by chemical polymerization technique. The carbon nitride blended conducting polyaniline composite was coated over cotton fabric by using pad dry cure method. The carbon nitride polyaniline composite coated cotton fabrics show improved photocatalytic decomposition efficiency of 90% toward Rhodamine-B dye. The enhanced photocatalytic self-cleaning properties were achieved by using different colored dye stains under simulated solar light irradiation. The carbon nitride polyaniline composite has also shown good antimicrobial activity against gram negative bacteria.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Keywords:

• Smart textile
• photocatalyst
• self-cleaning
• antimicrobial activity
• carbon nitride
• polyaniline

Acknowledgement

Further, the authors Srinivasan Nagarajan and Sudhagar Pitchaimuthu acknowledges EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account at Swansea University, UK.

Additional information

Funding

This work is supported by Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship Department of Biotechnology DBT(BT/RLF/RE-entry/40/2015) India and by Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA R&I).