Rapid dipping preparation of superhydrophobic TiO2 cotton fabric for multifunctional highly efficient oil-water separation and photocatalytic degradation

Abstract

In past decades, the frequent emergence of offshore oil accidents and the increasing of soluble pollutants have caused enormous damage to the ecosystem. It is urgent to develop efficient oil-water separation and water purification materials. In this work, a superhydrophobic material on the pretreated cotton fabric is prepared by simple immersion in TiO2 nanoparticles and stearic acid solution. The resultant composited fabrics not only exhibited considerable superhydrophobicity with a water static contact angle of 157.3° and a water shedding angle of 5° favorable for oil-water separation, but also achieved the excellent photocatalytic activity by the degradation of water-soluble pollutants under visible light irradiation. The degradation efficiency could reach 98.4% within 60 min under visible light irradiation. Additionally, the coated cotton fabrics have excellent self-cleaning and stain resistance properties. After more than ten-cycles tests, the composited fabrics still maintain favorable performance of oil-water separation and photocatalytic degradation, which proves the excellent reusability. In the light of the outstanding predominance of the multifunction cotton fabrics, this simple, cost-effective, environmentally friendly and suitable for large-scale production strategy can boost the development of multipurpose superwetting materials, providing great tantalizing potential for oily wastewater efficient purification and environmental remediation.