Correction: Javed et al. Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and N-Methylol Dimethyl Phosphonopropion Amide (MDPA) System for Flame Retardant Cotton Fabrics. Polymers 2022, 14, 3414.

The authors wish to make a correction to this paper [...].

Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and N-Methylol Dimethyl Phosphonopropion Amide (MDPA) System for Flame Retardant Cotton Fabrics.

The aim of the present research work was to develop halogen and formaldehyde-free, durable flame retardant fabric along with multifunctional properties and to find the optimal conditions and parameters. In this research, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were grown onto 100% cotton fabric using the sonochemical method. Zinc acetate dihydrate (Zn(CH3COO)2·2H2O) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) were used as precursors. After ZnO NPs growth, N-Methylol dimethylphosphonopropionamide (MDPA) flame retardant was applied in the presence of 1, 2, 3, 4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) as cross-linkers using the conventional pad-dry-cure method. Induced coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) was used to determine the deposited amount of Zn and phosphorous (P) contents. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were employed to determine the surface morphology and characterization of the developed samples. Furthermore, the thermal degradation of the untreated and treated samples was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Furthermore, the vertical flame retardant test, limiting oxygen index (LOI), ultraviolet protection factor (UPF), and antibacterial activity of samples were examined. The developed samples showed excellent results for flame retardancy (i.e., 39 mm char length, 0 s after flame time, 0 s after glow time), 32.2 LOI, 143.76 UPF, and 100% antibacterial activity.

One Step In-Situ Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles for Multifunctional Cotton Fabrics.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have acquired great significance in the textile sector due to their impressive efficiency and multifold utilization, such as antimicrobials, UV protection, photo catalytic activity, and self-cleaning. The aim of this work is in-situ growth of ZnO NPs on 100% cotton fabrics with the one-step hydrothermal method for preparation of multifunctional textile with UV protecting, antibacterial, and photo catalytic properties. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and Zinc nitrate hexahydrate [Zn(NO3)2·6H2O] were used as reactants for the growth of zinc oxide on the 100% cotton fabrics. The loaded amount of Zn contents on the cotton fabric was determined by using induced coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The surface morphological characterization of deposited ZnO NPs was examined, employing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and, Fourier- transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The characterization results showed the presence of ZnO NPs on cotton fabrics having hexagonal wurtzite crystalline structure. The synthesized ZnO NPs on fabrics exhibited promising results for antibacterial, UV protection, and photo catalytic performance.

Sonochemical synthesis of highly crystalline photocatalyst for industrial applications.

Highly photo active pure anatase form of TiO2 nanoparticles with average particle size 4nm have been successfully synthesized by ultrasonic acoustic method (UAM). The effects of process variables i.e. precursors concentration and sonication time were investigated based on central composite design and response surface methodology. The characteristics of the resulting nanoparticles (RNP) were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry and Raman spectroscopy. Photocatalytic experiments were performed with methylene blue dye which is considered as model organic pollutant in textile industry. A comparative analysis between the RNP and commercially available Degussa P25 for photocatalytic performance against dye removal efficiency was performed. The rapid removal of methylene blue in case of RNP indicates their higher photocatalytic activity than P25. Maximum dye removal efficiency 98.45% was achieved with optimal conditions i.e. TTIP conc. 10mL, EG conc. 4mL and sonication time 1h. Interestingly, no significant difference was found in the photocatalytic performance of RNP after calcination. Moreover, self-cleaning efficiency of RNP deposited on cotton was evaluated in RGB color space. The obtained results indicate the significant impact of ultrasonic irradiations on the photocatalytic performance of pure anatase form than any other hybrid type of TiO2 nanoparticles.

In-situ development of highly photocatalytic multifunctional nanocomposites by ultrasonic acoustic method.

Cotton-titania nanocomposites with multifunctional properties were synthesized through ultrasonic acoustic method (UAM). Ultrasonic irradiations were used as a potential tool to develop cotton-titania (CT) nanocomposites at low temperature in the presence of titanium tetrachloride and isopropanol. The synthesized samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, EDX and ICP-OES methods. Functional properties i.e. Ultraviolet protection factor (UPF), self-cleaning, washing durability, antimicrobial and tensile strength of the CT nanocomposites were evaluated by different methods. Central composite design and response surface methodology were employed to evaluate the effects of selected variables on responses. The results confirm the simultaneous formation and incorporation of anatase TiO2 with average crystallite size of 4nm on cotton fabric with excellent photocatalytic properties. The sustained self-cleaning efficiency of CT nanocomposites even after 30 home launderings indicates their excellent washing durability. Significant effects were obtained during statistical analysis for selected variables on the formation and incorporation of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) on cotton and photocatalytic properties of the CT nanocomposites.