The release of toxic effluents and microfibers during the frequent washings of textiles poses a major threat to the environment. On the one hand, the detrimental effluents from detergents pose a threat to marine biota in peril, and on the other, microplastics have even been found in breastmilk. According to this study, functionalized metal-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles can be immobilized to create fabrics that are hygienic and antibacterial. There is a need to reduce the amount of different detergents, surfactants and chemicals used to remove stains. The manufacture of pristine and Cu-, Ag- and Zn-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles having trace molar ratios of dopant chosen with a simple sol–gel approach using pad–dry–cure silane coupling agents, firstly with the functionalization and then the immobilization of nanoparticles, was successfully performed on cotton fabric. The as-obtained fabrics were evaluated for their crystallinity, chemical functionalities, surface morphologies and elemental compositions. The photodegradation potentials of unfunctionalized materials were assessed in ambient sunshine against five commercial colors. Within three hours of sunshine exposure, according to color strength analysis and antibactericidal activities, 95–98% of the dye was degraded from the functionalized fabric surface. Additionally, the treated content kept its mechanical and comfort qualities.

Frequent washing of textiles poses a serious hazard to the ecosystem, owing to the discharge of harmful effluents and the release of microfibers. On one side, the harmful effluents from detergents are endangering marine biota, while on the other end, microplastics are observed even in breastfeeding milk. This work proposes the development of sunlight-driven cleaning and antibacterial comfort fabrics by immobilizing functionalized Zn-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles. The research was implemented to limit the use of various detergents and chemicals for stain removal. A facile sol–gel method has opted for the fabrication of pristine and Zn-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles at three different mole percentages of Zn. The nanoparticles were successfully functionalized and immobilized on cotton fabric using silane coupling agents via pad–dry–cure treatment. As-obtained fabrics were characterized by their surface morphologies, availability of chemical functionalities, and crystallinity. The sunlight-assisted degradation potential of as-functionalized fabrics was evaluated against selected pollutants (eight commercial dyes). The 95–98% degradation of dyes from the functionalized fabric surface was achieved within 3 h of sunlight exposure, estimated by color strength analysis with an equivalent exposition of bactericidal activities. The treated fabrics also preserved their comfort and mechanical properties. The radical trapping experiment was performed to confirm the key radicals responsible for dye degradation, and h⁺ ions were found to be the most influencing species. The reaction pathway followed the first order kinetic model with rate constant values of 0.0087 min⁻¹ and 0.0131 min⁻¹ for MB and MO dyes, respectively.