Synthesis and Characterization of Nano-sized Zinc Oxide Coating on Cellulosic Fibers: Photoactivity and Flame-retardancy Study

Abstract

We have investigated the effect of zinc oxide as a photocatalyst and durable flame-retardant on cellulosic fibers. Zinc oxide nanocrystals were successfully synthesized and deposited onto cellulosic fibers using sol-gel process at low temperature. The samples were characterized by means of several techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. The photocatalytic activity was tested by measuring the photodegradation of methylene blue under UV-Vis illumination. Moreover, flame-retardancy was tested by vertical flame spread test. The optimum add-on value for donating flame-retardancy onto cellulosic fabric was obtained to be in the range of 15.24 to 23.20 g of the ZnO per 100 g of fabric. Thermogravimetric analysis of pure and flame-retarded samples were accomplished and discussed. The results obtained are in agreement with Wall effect theory and Coating theory. The originality of this work on introducing photoactive flame-retarded fibers is highly valuable for industrial implementation.

A facile one-pot route for preparing cellulose nanocrystal/zinc oxide nanohybrids with high antibacterial and photocatalytic activity

“…Each sample (about 0.05 g) was tested five times. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated through photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye according to methods reported in other literature (Fallah et al 2011;Zhai et al 2014), performed under UV irradiation and observed using the absorption spectroscopic technique. In a typical process, MB dye solution (5.0 9 10 -5 M, 50 mL) mixed with the nanohybrids was poured into a cylindrical quartz vessel with diameter of 2 cm.…”

“…To overcome this great challenge and improve nanoparticle dispersion, fabrication of ZnO nanoparticles in nanofibrillar materials (such as cellulose and its derivatives) has attracted increasing attention due to the great potential for applications in different areas. More recently, many reports on hybridization of cellulose and its derivatives with ZnO nanoparticles have been published (Azizi et al 2013;Fallah et al 2011;Ul-Islam et al 2014;Zheng et al 2014). This indicates that introduction of cellulose and its derivatives not only improves the dispersion of ZnO nanoparticles but also brings new functions to the host polymer.…”

“…In this work, a one-pot synthesis route consisting of Fischer esterification and precipitation is presented to fabricate CNC/ZnO nanohybrids as an alternative to the more complex preparation process described in previous reports (Azizi et al 2013;Fallah et al 2011;Ul-Islam et al 2014;Zheng et al 2014). Simultaneous occurrence of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) hydrolysis and esterification of hydroxyl groups using citric and hydrochloric mixed acids (C 6 H 8 O 7 /HCl) can produce functionalized CNCs rich in carboxyl groups (COO -), which can act as a scaffold and carrier for stabilization of Zn 2?…”

“…Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are multifunctional inorganic metal oxides that have recently attracted considerable interest due to their extensive applications as photocatalysts and antibacterial materials, as well as in sensors and dye-sensitized solar cells (Fallah et al 2011;Roberson et al 2014;Velmurugan and Swaminathan 2011;Zhang et al 2013;Zheng et al 2014). However, ZnO nanoparticles tend to aggregate due to their large surface area and high surface energy (Azizi et al 2013;Li et al 2013).…”

A flexible one-pot synthesis of 8,10-dimethyl-12-aryl-9H-naphto[1′,2′:5,6]pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine-9,11-diones catalyzed by ZnO nanoparticles under solvent-free conditions

“…One of the extensively used materials for many chemical applications, such as gas sensors [3], photoactivity, flame-retardancy [4], solar cells [5], semiconductors [6], miniaturized lasers, light sources, piezoelectric elements for self-powered nano systems, transparent electrodes [7][8][9], and cosmetic and sunscreen to protect against UV-induced skin damage [10,11] is nanocrystalline zinc oxide. During the last decade, ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were used as an active catalyst in the synthesis of b-phosphonomalonates [12], benzimidazoles [13], as well as Mannich reactions [14].…”