Fabrication and Photocatalytic Performance of Au/ZnO Layered Structure on Silk Textile for Flexible Device Applications

•Au was metallized on the silk by supercritical CO2 assisted electroless plating.•High adhesive and high electrical conductive Au/silk composite was fabricated.•ZnO with wurtzite structure was deposited on the Au/silk by cathodic deposition.•A flexible and photocatalytic ZnO/Au/silk composite material was realized.•Electrolyte with 0.2 wt.% H2O2 showed the best photocatalytic activity.

This study integrated ZnO/Au layered structure on silk textiles to realize a flexible photocatalytic composite material for wearable devices. Supercritical carbon dioxide promoted electroless plating and cathodic deposition were used to metallize and deposit photocatalytic metal oxides on silk textiles. Silk was used as the substrate for its flexibility and stretchability. Au was selected due to its high biocompatibility, electrical conductivity, and ductility. ZnO was chosen for its photocatalytic activity and biocompatibility to fulfill the application. Surface morphology, composition, crystal structure, electrical resistance and photocatalytic activity assessments were evaluated. With the assistance of supercritical carbon dioxide, smooth, strong adherence and uniform coverage of Au layer was successfully electroless plated on the silk. ZnO was homogeneously deposited on the Au metal layer. The coatings on the silk have been confirmed to be metallic Au phase and ZnO wurtzite phase. The ZnO modified specimen with 0.2 wt.% H2O2 in the electrolyte showed the highest crystallinity and performed 11.5 times enhancement in the photocurrent density when comparing to the H2O2-free one.

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