Preparation and Application of Hydrophobic Film-Coated Recycled Low-Iron Crushed Glass via SiO2–Mixed TiO2 Through Sol–Gel for Efficient Removal of Water Contaminants Photocatalytically

Traditional nano-titanium dioxide films have strong photocatalytic performance; however, their hydrophilic surfaces make it easier for pollutants or by-products resulting from the reaction processes to deposit on the membrane surface and occupy their active sites, which reduces the coating degradation efficiency and shortens their service life. In the current study, nano-TiO2 was mixed with SiO2 for hydrophobic film coating by the sol–gel method. The surface morphology of the membrane was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the composition of the coating was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and its stable hydrophobicity was verified by contact angle testing (θw = 117°). The specific surface area Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) revealed between 0.0561 (for 3 layers) and 0.0868 m2/g after 9 layers of coating. Through establishing a simplified photocatalytic reactor under UV, the new coating’s abilities in the degradation of methylene blue, its anti-fouling, and durability were examined. Results revealed that when the common TiO2 films were combined with hydrophobic films, nearly 100% of methylene blue was degraded, and the degradation capacity remained stable after three rounds of tests. Moreover, it was observed that only a small amount of methylene blue adhered to the new film surface comparatively. Outcomes confirmed that the SiO2-mixed TiO2 thin films exhibited enhanced hydrophobicity. When integrated with ordinary TiO2 coatings, the composite structure demonstrated superior photocatalytic efficiency and stability in the degradation of aqueous pollutants compared to pure TiO2 coatings.