Mussel-inspired fabrication of superhydrophobic cotton fabric for oil/water separation and visible light photocatalytic

Flexible multiple functional textiles for oil/water separation and photodegradation are highly demanded in highly effective and environmentally friendly wastewater purification. In this work, β-FeOOH nanorods were in situ hydrothermally grown on polydopamine (PDA)-templated cotton fabric (CF) followed by decoration of 1-Dodecanethiol (DDT) on the surface for highly efficient oil/water separation and visible-light-driven photodegradation of dyes. The morphology, structure and wettability of the as-prepared fabrics were characterized and the oil/water separation together with photocatalysis of MB were investigated. The results showed that β-FeOOH nanorods were successfully grown on the PDA-templated cotton fabrics with durable hydrophobicity and lipophilicity. The as-prepared fabrics were demonstrated in oil/water separation of different oil with high separation rates, and the mechanism was proposed. The fabrics also showed excellent visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance in degrading methylene blue (MB) solution with stability and reliability, and the photocatalysis mechanism was contributed. This work provides insights on developing multiple functional textiles by combining photocatalysis with special wettability.