Mussel-Inspired Cellulose-Based Nanocomposite Fibers for Adsorption and Photocatalytic Degradation

We present a green and low-cost approach to fabricate titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs)/polydopamine (PDA)/cellulose fibers (CF) composite (TiO2/PDA/CF) by using PDA as functional layer and a protective agent. Mussel-inspired PDA layer robustly adhered to CF, and TiO2 NPs were immobilized on the surface of PDA layer through facile hydrolysis of TiOSO4. The TiO2/PDA/CF composite exhibited an improved stability of CF and a good reutilization property, which benefitted from the PDA layer between CF substrate and TiO2 NPs. Moreover, the TiO2/PDA functional layer remarkably enhanced the adsorption capacities of Pb2+ (∼20 mg/g) and methylene blue (MB, ∼15 mg/g). And the better photocatalytic performance of this composite further improved the efficiency of MB removing. This cellulose-based nanocomposite has great potential in photocatalysis and wastewater treatment with low energy consumption, economic, and environmental sustainability.