Publication

Abstract : The development of advanced self-cleaning textiles represents a key step toward sustainable materials for environmental protection and remediation. This work introduces a novel textile coating based on a 2D/1D heterojunction formed from potassium-doped graphitic carbon nitride (K-gCN) and n-monoclinic bismuth phosphate (nBPO), synthesized via a scalable ball-milling approach. When screen-printed onto cotton fabric at a 70:30 catalyst-to-ink ratio, the best performance was given by 2:1 K-gCN/nBPO composite which exhibited robust photocatalytic removal of organic pollutants under UV, visible (white LED), and natural sunlight, demonstrating 96.4% degradation of methylene blue and 94.65% removal of coffee stains in 9 h (under 50 W LED light exposure) and 72.2% degradation of methylene blue and 58.5% of coffee stain in the presence of sunlight for 6 h. Electrochemical analysis and VB-XPS confirmed the S-scheme mechanism driving efficient charge separation and reactive oxygen species generation. The coated textiles maintained photocatalytic activity after repeated washing, demonstrating long-term durability and practical viability. This study highlights a scalable route to functional fabrics capable of persistent self-cleaning, bridging the gap between smart textile fabrication and environmental remediation through rational catalyst design and industrially compatible printing technologies.