A multi-functional oil-water separator from a selectively pre-wetted superamphiphobic paper.
A multi-functional oil-water separator is prepared from a paper towel spray coated with superamphiphobic (i.e., superhydrophobic and superoleophobic) nanoparticles. After the separator is pre-wetted with ethanol, followed by water, water can be removed from the light oil-water mixture and emulsions by gravity with high separation efficiency (99.9%) and separation flux. Vice versa, heavy oil can be removed by gravity on an ethanol-oil pre-wetted SA-paper.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. shuyang@seas.upenn.edu.
Dengteng
D
Ge
Lili
L
Yang
Chenbo
C
Wang
Elaine
E
Lee
Yongquan
Y
Zhang
Shu
S
Yang