Elaboration of non-fluorinated superhydrophobic fabric with high photocatalytic and oil–water separation performance based on nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide

The environmental risks of conventional fluorine-based superhydrophobic coatings have gained prominence due to the growth of the idea of green and sustainable development as well as the textile industry’s growing environmental demands. As a result, the creation of environmentally benign, multifunctional, superhydrophobic coated fabrics that are free of fluorine has become a research focus. Nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide (N–TiO 2 ) particles were created using urea as a nitrogen source. These particles were subsequently mixed with environmentally friendly biomass-derived coconut shell activated carbon powder (CSAC). By adding the low-surface-energy material hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (HTPDMS) using a straightforward impregnation procedure, a strong functional superhydrophobic material was further produced, leading to N–TiO 2 @CSAC/HTPDMS (NTCH)-coated cotton fabric. While the ecologically friendly and fluorine-free HTPDMS offers low surface energy and improves the adhesion between the particles and the cotton fabric, guaranteeing environmental stability, N–TiO 2 and CSAC contribute to the micro-/nanohierarchical roughness in this composite. With a water contact angle (WCA) of 159.8°, this coated fabric has exceptional superhydrophobicity. The fabric’s high superhydrophobic qualities allow it to prevent liquid contamination in a variety of hostile situations, even after repeated mechanical abrasion, continuous washing, acid and alkali soaking, and UV irradiation. The fabric demonstrated an 85.92% photocatalytic effectiveness against Rhodamine B (RhB) solution after 4 h of UV exposure. Additionally, the modified fabric showed good self-cleaning qualities and photocatalytic self-healing capabilities following oleic acid contamination. Furthermore, the modified fabric performs exceptionally well in oil–water separation, with a separation effectiveness of over 95.00% for a variety of oil-based compounds. In particular, dichloromethane has a separation efficiency of 99.50%. The material is recyclable, and the oil–water separation efficiency is above 97% even after ten cycles. There are many potential applications for this discovery, including enhanced treatment of industrial oily wastewater, environmental self-cleaning, and sustainable water treatment. Graphical abstract