Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
Institute for Applied Materials (IAM) and Karlsruhe Nano Micro Facility (KNMF), KIT, Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2017 Jan 4;7:39970. doi: 10.1038/srep39970.
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.
受生物表面多功能性的启发，这些特性对于生物在其特定环境中的生存是必需的，我们开发了一种人工特殊浸润纳米绒毛表面，它可以适应执行不同的功能，从而有效地分离油和水，以清洁意外的溢油或分离工业含油废水。最初的超疏水纳米绒毛表面是使用热拉伸法制造的，在这种方法中，纳米和微绒毛在从加热的喷砂钢板上分离时从聚合物表面被拔出。通过使用一组简单的改性技术，包括微孔化、等离子体处理和随后控制储存环境，我们实现了对水或油的选择性分离、可变的吸油和通过过滤连续的重力驱动的油/水混合物的分离。此外，这些功能可以使用由各种热塑性塑料制成的特殊浸润纳米绒毛来实现，包括可生物降解和可回收的聚合物。此外，纳米绒毛可以在用有机溶剂清洗后重复使用，因此，进一步有助于减少油/水分离过程对环境的影响。
