Hybrid Hydrophilic–Hydrophobic CuO@TiO2-Coated Copper Mesh for Efficient Water Harvesting

Fresh water scarcity has been a worldwide problem to be solved urgently. Inspired by the outstanding hydrophobic-hydrophilic patterns on the back of Namib desert beetles, hierarchical CuO@TiO2-coated surface with alternating hydrophilic-hydrophobic chemistry patterns were fabricated utilizing the photocatalysis of titanium dioxide through ultraviolet irradiation. The results indicated that the as-prepared hybrid dual-coated copper mesh enhanced the fog-collection efficiency compared with the uniformly superhydrophobic or superhydrophilic surface. This enhancement can be regulated by controlling the deposition cycle times of TiO2 multilayers on CuO and UV irradiation time. The best water harvesting behavior was determined at the deposition cycle times of 10 times and UV irradiation time of 4 h. This work findings offer new insights into the fabrication of hybrid hydrophilic-hydrophobic surfaces for highly efficient water harvesting.