Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University , Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1831, United States.
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University , New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8286, United States.
Environ Sci Technol. 2016 Mar 1;50(5):2132-50. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.5b04351. Epub 2016 Feb 17.
Interfacial materials with special wettability have become a burgeoning research area in materials science in the past decade. The unique surface properties of materials and interfaces generated by biomimetic approaches can be leveraged to develop effective solutions to challenging environmental problems. This critical review presents the concept, mechanisms, and fabrication techniques of interfacial materials with special wettability, and assesses the environmental applications of these materials for oil-water separation, membrane-based water purification and desalination, biofouling control, high performance vapor condensation, and atmospheric water collection. We also highlight the most promising properties of interfacial materials with special wettability that enable innovative environmental applications and discuss the practical challenges for large-scale implementation of these novel materials.
过去十年间，具有特殊润湿性的界面材料已经成为材料科学领域一个新兴的研究方向。仿生方法所产生的材料和界面的独特表面性质，可以被用来开发解决具有挑战性的环境问题的有效方案。这篇重要的综述介绍了具有特殊润湿性的界面材料的概念、机理和制备技术，并评估了这些材料在油水分离、基于膜的水净化和脱盐、生物污垢控制、高性能蒸汽冷凝和大气水收集方面的环境应用。我们还强调了具有特殊润湿性的界面材料最有前途的特性，这些特性使它们能够实现创新性的环境应用，并讨论了这些新型材料大规模应用所面临的实际挑战。
