Ag/AgCl nanoparticles reinforced cellulose-based hydrogel coated cotton fabric with self-healing and photo-induced self-cleaning properties for durable oil/water separation

Cellulose-based hydrogel coated porous membranes as "water removing" materials have received considerable attention in the field of oil/water separation. However, the majority of them are vulnerable to external mechanical destruction and inevitably suffer from organic and biological fouling. In this work, a novel Ag/AgCl nanoparticles (NPs) hybrid cellulose-based hydrogel (AHCH) derived from hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) was successfully prepared that exhibited good mechanical properties, followed by antiswelling, self-healing, and self-cleaning properties. To apply this AHCH for oil/water separation, it was coated on a piece of cotton fabric (AHCH@CF) through the facile sol-gel coating method. The as-prepared AHCH@CF presented superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic features, resulting in its satisfactory anti-oil-fouling ability. Meanwhile, it exhibited excellent oil/water separation properties for various water/oil mixtures, accompanied by separation efficiency of around 99.5% and high water flux up to approximately 15,246 L-1 m- 2 h-1. Moreover, the separation efficiency could still maintain at greater than 99.0% after 50 cycles. Notably, the as-obtained AHCH@CF showed excellent stability even in highly acidic, basic, saline solutions, and ultrasonic treatment. Most importantly, due to the existence of numerous spherical Ag/AgCl NPs on the surface, AHCH@CF exhibited good photo-induced self-cleaning property and antibacterial activity. Hence, this AHCH@CF with high performance provides a new candidate material for the application in efficient and durable oil/water separation.