Facile In Situ Synthesis of ZnO Flower-like Hierarchical Nanostructures by the Microwave Irradiation Method for Multifunctional Textile Coatings
Maria Antonia Tănase,
Andreia Cristina Soare,
Petruţa Oancea,
Adina Răducan,
Cătălin Ionuţ Mihăescu,
Elvira Alexandrescu,
Cristian Petcu,
Lia Mara Diţu,
Marilena Ferbinteanu,
Bogdan Cojocaru,
Ludmila Otilia Cinteza
Affiliations
Maria Antonia Tănase
Physical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, 4-12 Regina Elisabeta Blv., 030018 Bucharest, Romania
Andreia Cristina Soare
Physical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, 4-12 Regina Elisabeta Blv., 030018 Bucharest, Romania
Petruţa Oancea
Physical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, 4-12 Regina Elisabeta Blv., 030018 Bucharest, Romania
Adina Răducan
Physical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, 4-12 Regina Elisabeta Blv., 030018 Bucharest, Romania
Cătălin Ionuţ Mihăescu
Polymers Department, National Institute for Research and Development in Chemistry and Petrochemistry—ICECHIM, 202 Spl. Independentei, 060021 Bucharest, Romania
Elvira Alexandrescu
Polymers Department, National Institute for Research and Development in Chemistry and Petrochemistry—ICECHIM, 202 Spl. Independentei, 060021 Bucharest, Romania
Cristian Petcu
Polymers Department, National Institute for Research and Development in Chemistry and Petrochemistry—ICECHIM, 202 Spl. Independentei, 060021 Bucharest, Romania
Lia Mara Diţu
Microbiology Department, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 1-3 Aleea Portocalilor, 060101 Bucharest, Romania
Marilena Ferbinteanu
Inorganic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, 23 Dumbrava Rosie, 020462 Bucharest, Romania
Bogdan Cojocaru
Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Catalysis Department, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, 4-12 Regina Elisabeta Blv., 030018 Bucharest, Romania
Ludmila Otilia Cinteza
Physical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, 4-12 Regina Elisabeta Blv., 030018 Bucharest, Romania
ZnO nanoparticle-based multifunctional coatings were prepared by a simple, time-saving microwave method. Arginine and ammonia were used as precipitation agents, and zinc acetate dehydrate was used as a zinc precursor. Under the optimized conditions, flower-like morphologies of ZnO aggregates were obtained. The prepared nanopowders were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV/Visible spectroscopy. The developed in situ synthesis with microwave irradiation enabled significant ZnO nanoparticle deposition on cotton fabrics, without additional steps. The functionalized textiles were tested as a photocatalyst in methylene blue (MB) photodegradation and showed good self-cleaning and UV-blocking properties. The coated cotton fabrics exhibited good antibacterial properties against common microbial trains (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans), together with self-cleaning and photocatalytic efficiency in organic dye degradation. The proposed microwave-assisted in situ synthesis of ZnO nanocoatings on textiles shows high potential as a rapid, efficient, environmentally friendly, and scalable method to fabricate functional fabrics.
