Enhanced photocatalytic property of visible light responsive cotton fabric functionalized by NiCrFe layered double hydroxide for rapid sterilization and degradation

Environmental microbial contamination caused by air and water borne transmission of pathogenic microorganisms has attracted public concerns. Herein, we fabricated NiCrFe layered double hydroxide (NiCrFe-LDH) decorated self-disinfecting fabric with surface superhydrophilicity for visible-light-driven photocatalytic sterilization. NiCrFe-LDH nanosheets were in-situ growth on woven cotton fabric (WCF) via hydrothermal strategy. In which, Fe3+ partially substituted Cr3+ in binary NiCr-LDH to form ternary NiCrFe-LDH. The NiCrFe-LDH functionalized fabric (NiCrFe-LDH/WCF) exhibited 100% (6 log units) inactivation of typical Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive bacteria in water and on fabric surface under visible light with remarkable stability, reusability and biocompatibility. Moreover, the recovered NiCrFe-LDH/WCF exhibited excellent photocatalytic degradation efficiency for antibiotics. The photocatalytic sterilization and degradation performances of NiCrFe-LDH/WCF were significantly improved compared to NiCr-LDH/WCF. The enhanced photocatalysis mechanism was investigated in terms of optical property, reactive oxygen species, charge separation efficiency and energy band structure. The partial substitution of Fe3+ enhanced the light adsorption capacity, narrowed the bandgap and improved the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. The visible light responsive NiCrFe-LDH/WCF has great potential for effective inactivation of environmental pathogenic microorganisms and treatment of organic contaminants in water. It also has potential application in the production of new generation of textile in medical care industry.