Simple and Green Fabrication of a Superhydrophobic Surface by One-Step Immersion for Continuous Oil/Water Separation.
In this paper, stainless steel meshes with superhydrophobic and superoleophilic surfaces were fabricated by rapid and simple one-step immersion in a solution containing hydrochloric acid and stearic acid. The apparent contact angles were tested by a video contact angle measurement system (CA). Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were conducted to characterize the surface topographies and chemical compositions. The SEM results showed that mesh surfaces were covered by ferric stearate (Fe[CH3(CH2)16COO]2) with low surface energy. The CA test results showed that the mesh had a maximum apparent contact angle of 160 ± 1.0° and a sliding angle of less than 5.0° for the water droplet, whereas the apparent contact angle for the oil droplet was zero. Ultrasound oscillation and exposure tests at atmospheric conditions and immersion tests in 3.5 wt % NaCl aqueous solution were conducted to confirm the mesh with excellent superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties. On the basis of the superhydrophobic mesh, a miniature separation device pump was designed to collect pure oil from the oil/water mixture. It showed that the device was easier and convenient. The techniques and materials presented in this work are promising for application to wastewater and oil spill treatment.
School of Materials Science and Engineering, North University of China , Taiyuan 030051, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Ningbo 315201, People's Republic of China.
Jingfang
J
Zhu
School of Materials Science and Engineering, North University of China , Taiyuan 030051, People's Republic of China.
Bin
B
Liu
Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Ningbo 315201, People's Republic of China.
Longyang
L
Li
Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Ningbo 315201, People's Republic of China.
Zhixiang
Z
Zeng
Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Ningbo 315201, People's Republic of China.
Wenjie
W
Zhao
Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Ningbo 315201, People's Republic of China.
Gang
G
Wang
Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Ningbo 315201, People's Republic of China.
Xiaoyan
X
Guan