title: Adaptable bioinspired special wetting surface for multifunctional oil/water separation.
abstract: Inspired by the multifunctionality of biological surfaces necessary for the survival of an organism in its specific environment, we developed an artificial special wetting nanofur surface which can be adapted to perform different functionalities necessary to efficiently separate oil and water for cleaning accidental oil spills or separating industrial oily wastewater. Initial superhydrophobic nanofur surface is fabricated using a hot pulling method, in which nano- and microhairs are drawn out of the polymer surface during separation from a heated sandblasted steel plate. By using a set of simple modification techniques, which include microperforation, plasma treatment and subsequent control of storage environment, we achieved selective separation of either water or oil, variable oil absorption and continuous gravity driven separation of oil/water mixtures by filtration. Furthermore, these functions can be performed using special wetting nanofur made from various thermoplastics, including biodegradable and recyclable polymers. Additionally, nanofur can be reused after washing it with organic solvents, thus, further helping to reduce the environmental impacts of oil/water separation processes.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Maryna N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Kavalenka
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vüllers
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kumberg
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zeiger
authors.affiliation: Institute for Applied Materials (IAM) and Karlsruhe Nano Micro Facility (KNMF), KIT, Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Trouillet
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Tanzila T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Ava
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Chunyan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Worgull
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hölscher
mesh_terms: D065966:Absorption, Physicochemical; D005374:Filtration; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036103:Nanotechnology; D009821:Oils / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*; D017155:Wettability
chemical_list: D009821:Oils; D011108:Polymers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014867:Water