Multifunctional fabrics embedded with polypyrrole-silver/silver chloride nanocomposites for solar-driven steam generation and photocatalytic decontamination

Abstract

Solar-driven water evaporation is considered as promising and eco-friendly technology for freshwater acquisition. Yet, hazardous substances such as organic pollutants and bacteria present in wastewater can adversely deteriorate the quality of clean water and consequently take a toll on human health. Herein, multifunctional fabrics were fabricated by embedding polypyrrole-silver/silver chloride (PPy-Ag/AgCl) nanocomposites in situ on the surface of cotton fabric, thus integrating photothermal effect, photodegradation of organic contaminants and antibacterial activity. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of Ag nanoparticles and π-electron delocalization structures of PPy not only enhanced the light absorbance and photothermal performances, but also promoted the generation and separation of photogenerated charge-carriers of the multifunctional fabrics. Therefore, the multifunctional fabrics demonstrated a notable solar evaporation rate of 1.73 kg m−2h−1 for freshwater production and high photodegradation efficiency for typical organic pollutants such as rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO). Meanwhile, multifunctional fabrics showed good antibacterial activities (100% against E. coli and 99.76 ± 0.4% against S. aureus). When treating compound wastewater, the multifunctional fabric could remain efficient rejection rate of organic and inorganic pollutants and showed reliable stability. The multifunctional fabric shows great advantages for comprehensive wastewater purification.