Mussel-inspired synthesis of filter cotton-based AgNPs for oil/water separation, antibacterial and catalytic application

In this work, we have reported a facile method to fabricate multifunctional three-dimensional filter cotton (3D FC). Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was in situ hydrothermally grown on polydopamine (pDA)-templated filter cotton followed by decoration of 1-Dodecanethiol on the surface for highly efficient oil/water separation, antibacterial and catalytic activity. The morphologies and structural characteristics of functionalized filter cotton were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. It has exhibited good superhydrophobic property with a water contact angle (WCA) of 152.5°, and high oil/water separation efficiency. In addition, the 3D filter cotton also be provided with efficient antibacterial properties against E. coli. The catalytic activity of the functionalized filter cotton was evaluated by the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), and it has also performed robust reusability. The multifunctional 3D filter cotton can effectively remove oil and dyes in wastewater, which has promising application prospects in many fields.