Copper Iodide (CuI) coating as a self-cleaning adsorbent for highly efficient dye removal.

Abstract To resolve the worldwide water scarcity crises, there is an urgent need to develop highly efficient adsorbent for water purification. For the first time, Copper Iodide (CuI), homogeneously coating on carbon cloth (CuI@CC), is fabricated and investigated as a highly efficient, self-cleaning and easy-recycling adsorbent toward cationic organic dyes with good repeatability. Using the carbon cloth as a substrate, CuI is fabricated successfully via electroplating deposition followed by iodination procedure at ambient temperature. By combining the flexibility from the carbon fiber with the splendid adsorptive ability of the CuI coating, the CuI@CC is not only free-standing and flexible but also a highly efficient adsorbent. Notably, the CuI coating is also self-cleaning to decompose adsorbed organics through photocatalysis, which guarantees its great repeatability to a great extent. By installing the CuI@CC on the designed filtration device, the procedure of recycling and application is convenient and can avoid secondary pollution of water as well. This newly developed CuI coating is expected to be a novel adsorbent as a promising solution to the water crisis. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Novel CuI coating on carbon fiber was designed and successfully fabricated for the first time. • It exhibited a highly absorptive efficiency toward cationic dyes. • It possesses a splendid self-cleaning characteristic under UV light. • CuI@CC is free-standing and flexible with excellent recyclability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]