title: pH-controllable on-demand oil/water separation on the switchable superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic and underwater low-adhesive superoleophobic copper mesh film.
abstract: Recently, materials with controlled oil/water separation ability became a new research focus. Herein, we report a novel copper mesh film, which is superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic for nonalkaline water and alkaline water, respectively. Meanwhile, the film shows superoleophobicity in alkaline water. Using the film as a separating membrane, the oil/water separating process can be triggered on-demand by changing the water pH, which shows a good controllability. Moreover, it is found that the nanostructure and the appropriate pore size of the substrate are important for realization of a good separation effect. This paper offers a new insight into the application of surfaces with switchable wettability, and the film reported here has such a special ability that allows it to be used in other applications, such as sewage purification, filtration, and microfluidic device.
authors.affiliation: Natural Science Research Center, Academy of Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology , Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhongjun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Jingwen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Chong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Naiqing
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Kening
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sun