Photocatalytic and antibacterial functionality evaluation of nanoboron coated textiles

Abstract

Antibacterial properties of boron-containing compounds are well known although studies available on pure boron nanoparticles are relatively limited. In the present study, we examine the feasibility of the application of boron nanoparticles for antimicrobial textile applications. Nanoscale dimension boron particles have been characterised in terms of their particle size, shape, stability and surface charge before and after they are applied to textile surfaces to study their impact on photocatalytic and antibacterial activity. When applied on textile surfaces in conjunction with hydrophobic finishing solutions, boron nanoparticles improve the wettability performance without affecting any physical or colour fastness properties. They also improved photocatalytic properties of textiles when applied in combination with anatase-based titania nanoparticles. Textiles coated with nanoboron have also shown effectiveness in limiting bacteria growth.