Superhydrophobic and photocatalytic self-cleaning cotton

A superhydrophobic cotton fabric exhibiting photocatalytic self-cleaning properties under visible-light was prepared by step-wise deposition of anatase TiO2, meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP) and trimethoxy(octadecyl)silane (OTMS). The modified cotton fabrics not only exhibited excellent superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 156°, but also showed significant photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under visible-light irradiation. The fabrics were characterized by FESEM, XRD, NMR and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Textiles with dual functionality of superhydrophobicity and visible-light photocatalysis are promising for a wide range of self-cleaning applications.