Bismuth tungstate coating on polyester fabric modified with dopamine for photocatalytic property under visible light irradiation

Bi2WO6 particles were grown onto the polyester fabric modified with dopamine through a facile dip-coating method. The chemical composition, surface morphology and crystal structure of the Bi2WO6 coated polyester fabric modified with dopamine were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and acid orange 7 (AO7) under visible light irradiation. The influences of dopamine concentrations on the degradation efficiency of MB and AO7 were investigated. Optical absorptions of the Bi2WO6 coated polyester fabric modified with dopamine before and after degrading the dyes were studied. Adhesive strength between the Bi2WO6 coating and the polyester fabric modified with dopamine was evaluated. The tensile strength of the Bi2WO6 coated polyester fabric modified with dopamine was also examined. The results show that the Bi2WO6 particles are uniformly coated on the surface of the polyester fabric modified with dopamine. The Bi2WO6 coated polyester fabric modified with dopamine exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity with degradation efficiency of 97.7% of MB and 96.8% of AO7, respectively. The largest degradation efficiency is obtained when concentration of dopamine is 3 g/L. In addition, the Bi2WO6 coating and the polyester fabrics modified with dopamine not only improve the adhesive strength but also improve the breaking strength.