Preparation of superhydrophobic surface on Zr-based bulk metallic glasses with excellent photocatalytic properties

The dyestuff industry is one of the chemical industries that cause serious environmental pollution. To degrade pollutants, we propose a top-down anodic etching approach to prepare metal/oxide micro/nanostructured photocatalytic superhydrophobic coating on the surface of bulk amorphous alloys. Unlike common amorphous strip or powder materials, this method combines the excellent properties of amorphous alloy substrates. The metal/oxide micro/nano structure on the surface provides photocatalytic and Fenton-like performance, which can degrade organic pollutants. To further improve the catalyst ability, we modulate the sample composition. Zr 48 Cu 44 Al 8 and Zr 48 (Cu 5/6 Ag 1/6 ) 44 Al 8 bulk amorphous alloys are synthesized to be analyzed. Ultimately, the superhydrophobic Zr 48 (Cu 5/6 Ag 1/6 ) 44 Al 8 sample shows high catalytic activity with its ability to degrade methyl orange (MO) by 96.9 % within 10 minutes under UV–visible light. We also investigate the superhydrophobic and bactericidal properties of the samples, making them possible to work in harsh environmental conditions. In this way, structural-functional integrate preparation of bulk amorphous alloys is realized.