Multifunctional Ag-doped TiO2 attached on cellulose nanofibrous membranes with self-cleaning and antibacterial performance

The development of multifunctional membranes with self-cleaning and antibacterial properties is a significant pursuit in advanced materials science for the application of water and air filtration. Novel nanocomposite membranes composed of electrospun cellulose nanofibers (CL nanofibers) modified with silver-doped titanium dioxide (Ag-TiO 2 ) nanoparticles were successfully prepared with average fiber diameters to be in the range of 316 nm to 348 nm and doped and undoped TiO 2 nanoparticle sizes from 9.74 nm to 14.17 nm. The self-cleaning performance, derived from photochemical activity, was systematically evaluated against common organic stains, including green tea, red wine, and coffee, under simulated solar irradiation (Xenon lamp), demonstrating up to 55.27 %, 81.38 %, and 77.83 % stain degradation, respectively. The composite membranes containing 2 % Ag doped TiO 2 exhibited potent antibacterial activity, effectively inhibiting both representative Gram-positive ( Staphylococcus aureus ) and Gram-negative ( Escherichia coli ) bacteria with bacterial reduction of 99,98 % and 99,99 %, respectively. These results highlight that strategic combination of electrospinning and nanoparticle immobilization provides a powerful route to designing multifunctional hybrid materials, demonstrating significant potential for diverse real-world applications such as smart textiles, self-cleaning filtration membranes, and antimicrobial surfaces.