Rapid, large-scale preparation of non-wetting bismuth oxybromide surface and its practical outdoor applications for the water purification

The availability of two-dimensional composite photocatalyst materials under rapid, large-scale and mild conditions is a bottleneck for the application of water pollution treatment materials. In this paper, a superhydrophobic-BiOBr composite (WCA = 158°) with size of 0.5 m × 0.5 m was prepared by spraying and combustion methods within 1 h. The obtained fabric has selective oil removal performance and can be used for degrading the water-soluble pollutant under outdoor exposure to sunlight irradiation. The degradation efficiency of rhodamine B can reach 97.4% after 140 min. This excellent light activity can be attributed to the higher roughness requirements of the superhydrophobic fabric that the catalyst exposed area be increased. This work discusses not only the photodegradation active species ( O 2 − ) as well as the valence band (3.025 eV.) and conduction band (0.315 eV) information, but also the mechanical stability and verification of large-scale preparation. It also provides a new solution for the practical application of photodegradable materials.