Facilely fabricating superhydrophobic coated-mesh materials for effective oil-water separation: Effect of mesh size towards various organic liquids

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2020.03.021

Abstract

Abstract:

Effective oil-water separation is a continuous pursuit, not only for scientific research but also for engineering application, because oil spills are causing the great pollution in the current ocean environment. Here we reported a superhydrophobic coated-mesh, where the coatings were composed of fluorinated silica (F-SiO₂) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), demonstrating the excellent oil-water separation ability towards various organic liquids. The introduction of F-SiO₂ could well induce a certain extent of microscopic roughness, leading to the remarkable water repellence. The resultant coatings exhibited the robust superhydrophobicity with the water contact angle reaching 155.9°±1.0°. On this basis, the pore size of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) mesh materials (as a substrate) was mainly discussed with the great oil-water separation efficiency of as high as 98% towards various organic liquids. Also, under the assistance of physical model, it was confirmed that there was a mechanical relation between pore size and organic liquids, where the main connotation was the matching issue of surface tension of organic liquids with the geometrical mechanic (induced by the pore size of the superhydrophobic coated-mesh). This work on the size effect of superhydrophobic coated-mesh materials on various organic liquids is beneficial to the design and manufacture of ideal oil-water separation materials.

Key words: Superhydrophobic, Coatings, Oil-water separation, Surface tension

Haifeng Chen, Yizhou Shen, Zhaoru He, Zhengwei Wu, Xinyu Xie. Facilely fabricating superhydrophobic coated-mesh materials for effective oil-water separation: Effect of mesh size towards various organic liquids[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2020, 51: 151-160.

Figures/Tables 12

Fig. 1. Schematic illustration of basic procedures to prepare the superhydrophobic F-SiO2/PDMS@PET meshes via a two-step impregnation method.

Fig. 2. Comparison of wetting properties between original SiO2 (a) and modified F-SiO2 nanoparticles (b).

Fig. 3. (a-c) 3-Dimentional morphologies of smooth, PDMS-coated, and superhydrophobic F-SiO2/PDMS@PET meshes. (d-f) Corresponding 2-Dimentional surface morphologies. (g-i) Roughness curves obtained along the diagonal direction on 2-Dimensional surface morphologies.

Fig. 4. SEM images of superhydrophobic F-SiO2/PDMS@PET meshes, (a) d = 0.25 mm; (b) d = 0.12 mm; (c) d = 0.075 mm; (d) d = 0.058 mm; (e) d = 0.048 mm; (f) d = 0.038 mm. Higher-magnification images of superhydrophobic F-SiO2/PDMS@PET meshes with d = 0.038 mm (g) and uncoated PET meshes with d = 0.12 mm (h).

Fig. 5. SEM images and elemental compositions of PET meshes surface, (a, b) uncoated PET meshes; (c, d) Superhydrophobic F-SiO2/PDMS@PET meshes.

Fig. 6. (a) XPS full spectrum of superhydrophobic F-SiO2/PDMS@PET meshes, PDMS-coated PET meshes and uncoated PET meshes. (b-d) High resolution spectra of each element.

Fig. 7. (a) Static water CA on superhydrophobic F-SiO2/PDMS@PET mesh. (b) Superhydrophobic F-SiO2/PDMS@PET mesh being immersed in water. (c, d) Water droplets on the superhydrophobic F-SiO2/PDMS@PET mesh and uncoated PET mesh. (e) Superhydrophobic F-SiO2/PDMS@PET meshes floating on water surface. The related videos (Video S1-S3) are provided in the supporting materials.

Fig. 8. Water CA on the superhydrophobic F-SiO2/PDMS@PET meshes with six different pore sizes (a) 0.25 mm; (b) 0.12 mm; (c) 0.075 mm; (d) 0.058 mm; (e) 0.048 mm; (f) 0.038 mm.

Fig. 9. Separation efficiency of different oil-water mixtures onsuperhydrophobic F-SiO2/PDMS@PET meshes with different pore sizes.

Fig. 10. Separation efficiency of (a) kerosene-water and (b) trichloromethane-water mixtures on superhydrophobic F-SiO2/PDMS@PET meshes with different pore sizes.

Fig. 11. Separation efficiency of oil with different surface energy on the superhydrophobic PET mesh with pore size of 0.048 mm. The related separation process is clearly shown in Video S4 of supporting materials.

Fig. 12. Model of water droplets on surface of superhydrophobic PET mesh. (a) Schematic diagram, (b) Mechanic relationship.

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