Sustainable usage of microwave energy to produce TiO2 nanoparticles

Megaly, Martina; Haggag, K.; El-Naggar, A.M.; Abd El Fatah, H.M.; Hashem, A.I.; Elshemy, N.S.

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2023.218249.8152

Sustainable usage of microwave energy to produce TiO2 nanoparticles

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

² Textile Research Division, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt.

³ Microbiology Department,Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

10.21608/ejchem.2023.218249.8152

Abstract

This work's goal is to represent an innovative technique, namely microwave irradiation. It was applied as a rapid method for synthesizing titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) within a few minutes. This takes less period and energy than that consumed when applying the conventional heating method. The effect of different microwave power levels and times on the particle size of the obtained TiO2NPs was studied. The obtained TiO2 NPs were characterized using scanning electron microscopy coupled with an energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDX) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The finding demonstrated that the particle sizes of the prepared TiO2 appear in a nano-scale size, regular and uniform particle structure, with narrow distribution, the lowest size was attained at 90% watt for 10 min. In addition, the energy dispersive spectrum (EDX) provided additional evidence that the microwave-assisted TiO2 NPs integrated into wool fabrics were successful (signal at 0.2 KeV). The effects of TiO2 NPs on the multifunctional properties of the wool fabrics including coloration, antibacterial and self-cleaning were evaluated. The result showed that the maximum K/S value was obtained at 40oC for 5 min when the fabric was treated before dyeing, but when the fabric was treated after dyeing, the highest value was obtained at 80oC for 20 min. Increased treatment time caused the treated colored fabrics to become lighter and more yellowish-red in color, and later the fabrics took on a more brownish-yellow hue. The overall results revealed that the oxide was successfully prepared by using microwave heating in the Nanoscale. The dyed treated fabrics by prepared TiO2 NPs exhibited excellent color fastness, and good antibacterial, as well as self-cleaning properties. In conclusion, the procedure adopted for fabricating these multifunctional fabrics is environmentally friendly besides saving time, water, chemicals, and energy as well as the actual cost

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