Versatile superhydrophobic and photocatalytic films generated from TiO2–SiO2@PDMS and their applications on fabrics

Abstract

We report a simple and practical approach to for the facile production of TiO₂–SiO₂@PDMS versatile hybrid films via a sol–gel process, which possess superhydrophobic and photocatalytic properties. The as-prepared films presented herein have high thermal stability even up to 400 °C, and then switch to superhydrophilicity upon calcination at 470 °C. Also, we successfully employed the TiO₂–SiO₂@PDMS hybrid solution to coat onto flexible polyester–cotton fabrics on a large scale, allowing them to be made superhydrophobic. The superhydrophobic fabrics are wash-resistant and resistant to strong acid attack, and can be applied as a filter cloth for both oil–water separation and colorful pattern printing. We further applied the TiO₂–SiO₂@PDMS hybrid solution to treat dye waste water, which became colorless under UV irradiation. More interestingly, small balls coated with the TiO₂–SiO₂@PDMS hybrid solution can move faster than the control sample owing to their smooth superhydrophobic surface. These findings suggest that this multifunctional TiO₂–SiO₂@PDMS hybrid material can be applied to fabric treatment and water-repellent ship coatings.