Coating of TiO2 photocatalysts on super-hydrophobic porous teflon membrane by an ion assisted deposition method and their self-cleaning performance

By means of an ion assisted deposition method, a TiO2 photocatalyst was prepared at relatively lower temperature on porous Teflon sheets (PTS) that are good candidates for the coating materials with super-hydrophobic surfaces. UV light irradiation of TiO2 photocatalyst on PTS led to the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants (self-cleaning), which wear off the water-repellent property of the original PTS surface. The PTS surface loading of a small amount of TiO2 photocatalyst can keep the super-hydrophobic properties of PTS for a long time because of the photocatalytic degradation of the accumulated pollutants. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.