The bio-inspired nanotechnology of self-cleaning surfaces and coatings are nowadays being much attracted in the field of energy and environment because of the ever-increasing demand of uncontaminated, self-disinfected and hygienic surfaces. Such surfaces/coatings can be adopted on glass windows, automobile windshields, anti-fouling membranes, textiles, building construction materials, paints; on optoelectronic devices like solar panels, photochromic glasses, etc; in the food industry and for medical aids. This review gives a special emphasis to superhydrophilic self-cleaning surfaces. The mechanism of photocatalytic self-cleaning and superhydrophilicity of nano TiO₂ based systems is carefully investigated. The photogenerated reactive oxygen species generated during photoexcitation of electrons from the valence band to the conduction band of TiO₂ is responsible for its photocatalytic behaviour, anti-bacterial property and superhydrophilicity. Emphasis is given on various systems and methods that could enhance the self-cleaning behaviour of TiO₂ in the solar spectrum since pristine TiO₂ is only ultraviolet responsive. TiO₂-semiconductor heterojunctions, hybrids of TiO₂ with graphene and graphitic monolayers, tailoring the exposed crystal facets in TiO_2, metal and non-metal doping and dye sensitization, attributing to visible light photocatalytic self-cleaning activity are focused in detail. Various techniques adopted for the synthesis and fabrication of superhydrophilic self-cleaning materials and coatings are discussed.

由于不受污染，自消毒和卫生的表面的需求不断增长，如今，以生物为灵感的自清洁表面和涂层纳米技术在能源和环境领域受到了广泛的关注。此类表面/涂层可用于玻璃窗，汽车挡风玻璃，防污膜，纺织品，建筑材料，油漆；在诸如太阳能电池板，光致变色玻璃等光电设备上；在食品工业和医疗援助中。这篇评论特别强调了超亲水性的自清洁表面。纳米TiO ₂的光催化自清洁和超亲水性机理基于系统的系统经过仔细研究。在电子从TiO ₂的价带到导带的光激发过程中产生的光生活性氧是其光催化性能，抗菌性能和超亲水性的原因。由于原始的TiO ₂仅对紫外线敏感，因此着重介绍了可增强TiO ₂在太阳光谱中的自清洁行为的各种系统和方法。TiO _2-半导体异质结，TiO ₂与石墨烯和石墨单层的杂化体，可定制TiO _2中暴露的晶体面归因于金属和非金属的掺杂和染料敏化，归因于可见光的光催化自清洁活性。讨论了用于合成和制造超亲水性自洁材料和涂层的各种技术。