Superhydrophobic surfaces with photocatalytic activity under UV and visible light irradiation

• Imple method for preparing photocatalyst film with superhydrophobicity was reported.
• Stable superhydrophobicity was obtained by using hydrophobic SiO2 with N-TiO2 together.
• The surface was photocatalycally active under both UV and visible light irradiations.

Hydrophobic PDMS-coated silica nanoparticles were mixed with photocatalytically active N-doped TiO2 and distributed on the glass substrate. This facile method created films with simultaneous superhydrophobic and photocatalytic activity under UV and visible light. The effective decomposition of methylene blue and 2-methylisoborneol photocatalyzed by these films was confirmed. This superhydrophobicity is expected to provide resistance against dust particle accumulation, improving the durability of photocatalytic activity in wastewater treatments.

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