Multifunctional Properties of Polyester Fabrics Modified by Corona Discharge/Air RF Plasma and Colloidal TiO 2 Nanoparticles D. Mihailovic ´, 1 Z. S ˇ aponjic ´, 2 R. Molina, 3 M. Radoic ˇ ic ´, 2 J. Esquena, 3 P. Jovanc ˇ ic ´, 1 J. Nedeljkovic ´, 2 M. Radetic ´ 1 1 Textile Engineering Department, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Karnegijeva 4, 11120 Belgrade, Serbia 2 Vinc ˇ a Institute of Nuclear Sciences, P.O. Box 522, 11001 Belgrade, Serbia 3 Chemical and Biomolecular Nanotechnology Department Institut de Quı´mica Avanc ¸ ada de Catalunya (IQAC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientı´ficas (CSIC), C/ Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain In this study the possibility of tailoring the textile nano- composite materials based on the polyester fabric and TiO 2 nanoparticles that can simultaneously provide de- sirable level of antibacterial activity, UV protection, and self-cleaning effects with long-term durability was investigated. To enhance the binding efficiency of col- loidal TiO 2 nanoparticles, the surface of polyester fab- rics was activated by low-pressure RF air plasma, and corona discharge at atmospheric pressure. Obtained functionalized textile materials provided maximum anti- bacterial efficiency against gram-negative bacterium E. coli. High values of UV protection factor (UPF) indi- cate the maximum UV blocking efficiency (50þ) of these fabrics. The results of self-cleaning test with blue- berry juice stains and photodegradation of methylene blue in aqueous solution confirmed excellent photocata- lytic activity of TiO 2 nanoparticles deposited on the fiber surface. POLYM. COMPOS., 32:390–397, 2011. ª 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers INTRODUCTION Future breakthroughs in manufacturing of textiles will be mainly focused on creation of lightweight, durable, and comfortable materials that can provide protection from different undesired environmental impacts. It is well known that appropriate antimicrobial and UV protection as well as self-cleaning effects can be engineered by deposit- ing the nontoxic and inexpensive TiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) onto textile fibers, without changing the fiber bulk proper- ties and deteriorating the textile appearance [1–4]. Devel- oped procedures for synthesis of TiO 2 NPs with well- defined crystallinity and surface properties open up possi- bility to control the mechanism of interaction between fiber surface and particles. However, the major problem of nano- particle application to textile materials is the maintenance of the adequate durability of obtained effects. Recent studies revealed the great potential of TiO 2 NPs synthesized by sol-gel methods at relatively low tem- peratures in textile processing. Although the major work so far corresponds to the application of TiO 2 NPs to cot- ton fabrics [5–16], manmade fibers and particularly poly- ester (PES) fibers should receive much more attention as these fibers account for 74% share in total manmade fiber production and usage globally [17]. Additionally, it is pre- dicted that PES fibers will continue to dominate manufac- tured fiber output. The deposition of TiO 2 NPs onto PES fiber is highly challenging due to the lack of chemical bonding between PES and TiO 2 NPs [18, 19]. The low pressure plasma treatment of textile materials is estab- lished as a well-controlled and reproducible process. However, it requires expensive vacuum pumps and more complex handling compared with systems operating at atmospheric pressure (corona discharge and dielectric bar- rier discharge). To increase binding between PES fibers and TiO 2 NPs Bozzi et al. proposed the approach that relies on the modification of PES textiles by radio fre- quency (RF) plasma, microwave (MW) plasma, or vacuum Correspondence to: Maja Radetic ´; e-mail: maja@tmf.bg.ac.rs Contract grant sponsor: Ministry of Science of Republic of Serbia; con- tract grant numbers: TR 19007, 142066. Contract grant sponsor: Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation; contract grant number: CTQ2008-06892-C03-01. Contract grant sponsor: Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Scien- ces of the U.S. DOI 10.1002/pc.21053 Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). V V C 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers POLYMERCOMPOSITES—-2011