Facile design of a stable and inorganic underwater superoleophobic copper mesh modified by self-assembly sodium silicate and aluminum oxide for oil/water separation with high flux.

Separation meshes with special wettability for oil/water separation have drawn much research attention and the preparation of superhydrophobic or underwater superoleophobic materials for oil/water separation has been extensively studied. However, the preparation procedures of inorganic coatings in previous studies were complex and the widely used organic compounds for surface modification were costly and unstable. To address these challenges, the layer-by-layer self-assembly process of inorganic sodium silicate and aluminum oxide powders (SSA) on the copper (Cu) mesh was explored in this paper. Hierarchical and rough structures after electrodepostion were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). On the SSA modified Cu mesh, contact angles (CA) of underwater trichloromethane and water in the air were 153° and 1°, respectively. Besides, the modified mesh exhibited high thermal stability, good oil/water separation properties with water flux of 19832 Lmh and separation efficiency > 95%, and high recycling performance. The oil/water separation mechanism was that the positive intrusion pressure and the repulsive force for oil contributed to the oil/water separation performance of the mesh. The obtained mesh featured in facile design, unique wettability (underwater superoleophobic), high flux, and good recyclability and thermal stability. Therefore, it is believed that the self-assembly strategy proposed in this paper may provide a reference for preparing a highly stable inorganic mesh for oil/water separation.