Eco-friendly synthesis of robust bioinspired cotton fabric with hybrid wettability for integrated water harvesting and water purification

Abstract

The super-wettability surfaces have attracted tremendous attention as multifunctional materials for the increasing shortage of water resources. Although the bioinspired patterned superhydrophobic-hydrophilic surfaces have been used for water collection, its practical applications are seriously restricted by the complicated or pollution-carrying fabrication methods, the poor durability, and the specific application. It is highly desirable to synthesize the versatile robust surfaces with special wettability for synergistic water harvesting and water purification. In this work, the “one-for-all” robust cotton fabric with hybrid wettability for integrated water harvesting and water purification was prepared by the facile, non-fluorinated, and eco-friendly method. The performance of durability, oil/water separation, self-cleaning and antibacterial of superhydrophobic cotton fabric (SHC) was investigated. Experiment results indicated that the unique three-dimensional (3D) isotropic structure and extraordinary intrinsic properties of tetrapod-shaped ZnO (T-ZnO) enhanced the comprehensive performance of SHC as compared to those incorporated with conventional fillers. The excellent antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were still retained even after serious mechanical damage. Moreover, the superhydrophobic-hydrophilic patterned cotton fabrics were achieved after SHC covering with different masks under UV irradiation. By regulating the droplet coalescence and transportation during water harvesting, the as-prepared patterned fabric exhibited the enhanced water collection rate (WCR) up to 208.3 mg cm−2·h−1, which was 3 times higher than that of the superhydrophilic or superhydrophobic cotton fabrics. Therefore, this simple strategy to achieve cotton fabric with hybrid wettability shows a promising application in integrated water treatment.