Toward Superhydrophobic/Superoleophilic Materials for Separation of Oil/Water Mixtures and Water-in-Oil Emulsions Using Phase Inversion Methods

Abstract

In this study, a method that can simultaneously separate oil/water mixtures and water-in-oil emulsions were developed. Various substrates (synthetic polymers and stainless steel meshes) were coated by rough hydrophobic polymer films. The prepared materials possessed superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity. These superhydrophobic sponges can isolate extensive amounts of oil from water when connected to a related vacuum framework. Moreover, the superhydrophobic meshes (SHM) can separate both surfactant-free and -stabilized water-in-oil emulsions via gravity with high separation efficiency (oil purity: >99.99%) and flux (up to 4760 L m−2 h−1). The extraordinary performance of our materials and their low-energy, efficient, low-cost preparation propose that they have great potential for real-time applications.