One-step method for fabrication of superhydrophobic and superoleophilic surface for water-oil separation

Abstract A superhydrophobic and superoleophilic surface with micro-nano-binary scale structure and low surface energy coating was fabricated via one-step anodization process based on bare copper wire mesh. The water contact angle and water sliding angle of the prepared surface were 153° and 7.5° respectively, and the oil contact angle was 0°, the prepared surface showed excellent water repelling ability and superior absorption capacity for oil. Moreover, the prepared surface exhibits good resistance to saturation and corrosion. Furthermore, the prepared surface could separate many kinds of oil-water mixture efficiently. Even after 10 cycles, the separation efficiency still could reach above 87%. This study provided a low-cost and facial route to fabricate the surface which had high water-oil separation efficiency and excellent durability. Therefore this method had a promising application prospect.