Integrated design of superhydrophobic structures and photocatalytic functions of Zr46Cu46Al8 metallic glass surfaces

Metallic glasses have considerable potential in applications such as wastewater degradation, but the corrosion resistance and catalytic degradation performance require improvement. Herein, this study presents a simple electrochemical strategy that simultaneously improves the superhydrophobic properties of the cathode and anode surfaces by using Zr₄₆Cu₄₆Al₈ metallic glass as the cathode and anode substrates. The etched surface on the anode comprises a micro-nanometer composite coating of ZrO₂/CuO/Cu₂O, while the cathode surface has a micro-nanometer composite structure of CuO/Cu₂O/Fe₂O₃. The composite oxides produce enhanced catalytic degradation characteristics on the substrate. The micro-nanometer structures formed on the metallic glass surface give rise to superhydrophobicity, which improves the corrosion resistance and adaptability to complex environments. Furthermore, the stability and cyclic degradation capability are excellent, boding well for industrial implementation. Our results reveal a novel strategy to improve both the structure and functions of metallic glasses for different applications such as wastewater treatment.