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.