A novel bird-nest-like air superoleophobic/superhydrophilic Cu(OH)<sub>2</sub>-based composite coating for efficient oil–water separation

doi:10.1007/s11706-022-0602-z

Front. Mater. Sci.

2022, Vol. 16

Issue (2) : 220602 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11706-022-0602-z

RESEARCH ARTICLE

A novel bird-nest-like air superoleophobic/superhydrophilic Cu(OH)₂-based composite coating for efficient oil–water separation

Zhiwei ZENG¹, Xinzhu WU¹, Yan LIU¹(

), Lulu LONG¹, Bo WANG², Lilin WANG¹, Gang YANG¹, Xiaohong ZHANG¹, Fei SHEN¹, Yanzong ZHANG¹(

)

¹. College of Environmental Sciences, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
². Beijing Municipal Road & Bridge Co., Ltd., Beijing 100045, China

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Abstract

An air superoleophobic/superhydrophilic composite coating with a unique structure was fabricated by oxidation and further modification of the copper mesh, and its design principle was clarified. This unique bird-nest-like configuration gives it instant superhydrophilicity due to the high surface roughness and high polar surface free energy components, while air superoleophobicity is caused by its extremely low dispersive surface free energy components. Furthermore, a water-resistance mechanism was proposed whereby a polyelectrolyte plays a critical role in improving the water-resistance of fluorosurfactants. It can separate oil–water mixtures with high efficiency (98.72%) and high flux (25185 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹), and can be reused. In addition, our composite coating had certain anti-acid, anti-alkali, anti-salt and anti-sand impact performance. More importantly, after being soaked in water for a long time or being exposed to the air for a long time, it still retained ultra-high air oil contact angle and showed excellent stability, which provided the possibility for practical applications. Thus, these findings offer the potential for significant practical applications in managing oily wastewater and marine oil spill incidents.

Keywords dispersion force surface tension free energy water resistance oily wastewater

Corresponding Author(s): Yan LIU,Yanzong ZHANG

Issue Date: 15 June 2022

Cite this article:

Zhiwei ZENG,Xinzhu WU,Yan LIU, et al. A novel bird-nest-like air superoleophobic/superhydrophilic Cu(OH)₂-based composite coating for efficient oil–water separation[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2022, 16(2): 220602.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/foms/EN/10.1007/s11706-022-0602-z
https://academic.hep.com.cn/foms/EN/Y2022/V16/I2/220602

Fig.1 SEM images of (a)(a₁) copper mesh, (b)(b₁) CMCH and (c)(c₁) CMCH@PDF. (d) Scheme of the fabrication process of CMCH@PDF. 2D and 3D morphologies of (e)(e₁) CMCH and (f)(f₁) CMCH@PDF.

Tab.1 EDS data of copper mesh, CMCH and CMCH@PDF

Fig.2 (a) EDS spectrum of CMCH@PDF, (b) distributions of Cu, O, C, N, Si and F on CMCH@PDF, (c) XRD pattern of CMCH, and (d) FTIR spectrum of CMCH@PDF.

Fig.3 (a) WCAs and air OCAs of several samples. (b) The wetting behavior of CMCH@PDF. (c) The sliding process of an edible oil droplet on the CMCH@PDF surface in air. (d) OCAs of some oil droplets on the CMCH@PDF surface in air. (e) A photograph of various oil droplets at the CMCH@PDF surface in air. (f) Ultra-low adhesive in air. (g) The dynamic WCA of CMCH@PDF. (h) The mechanism of superoleophobicity/superhydrophilicity in air.

Tab.2 Hydrophilicity comparison between current results and published articles

Fig.4 (a) Photos showing the diesel/water separation process. (b) Separation efficiencies and fluxes of different oils of CMCH@PDF. (c) Cycle numbers for the diesel/water mixture. (d) The measurement of oil breakthrough pressure in case of diesel on CMCH@PDF. (e) The schematic diagram of the oil–water separation.

Tab.3 ΔP_ex values of various oils on CMCH@PDF

Fig.5 Factors influencing the OCA: (a) pH value of the solution for 24 h; (b) soak time of the 3.5% NaCl solution; (c) falling sand cycle number; (d) exposure time of the sample in air; (e) soak time of CMCH@PDF in water; (f) soak time of CMCH@PVF in water. The fluorine contents and distributions of (g) CMCH@PDF soaked in water for 7 d and (h) CMCH@PVF soaked in water for 1 d. (i) The reaction mechanism of CMCH@PDF and CMCH@PVF.

Tab.4 Water resistance time comparison between current results and published articles

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