Statistical optimization of open air dielectric barrier discharge plasma effect on self-cleaning activity of ultrasonically Cu2O/TiO2-coated cotton fabric

A one pot ultrasonic method was adopted for biosynthesis of Cu2O/TiO2 nanocomposite and simultaneously coating over dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma processed cotton fabric. In this non-toxic and eco-friendly synthesis approach, Aloe Vera leave extract was used as a reducing agent for the synthesis of Cu2O/TiO2 nanocomposite. According to the applied statistical design, the cotton fabric was pretreated with atmospheric pressure DBD plasma for various exposure periods. DBD exposure induced polar functional groups on the fabric surface, which showed more adhesion for coating material. The plasma exposure time, salt ratio and extract amount were optimized by using a complete composite design (CCD) in Minitab statistical package. It was revealed that optimized combination of certain parameters increased the self-cleaning activity of the coated fabric. The results confirmed the formation of Cu2O/TiO2 nanocomposite from Aloe Vera extract having both spherical and rod shapes with anatase phase of TiO2 and fcc structure of Cu2O. The crystallite size was found to be around 22 nm. The self-cleaning activity of Cu2O/TiO2-coated samples was ascertained by measuring color difference (ΔRGB) in MATLAB software. Washing fastness and tensile strength of optimized and control samples were also studied to test the efficiency of DBD plasma processing and self-cleaning of the coated cotton fabric.