pH-Responsive Superwetting Fabric for On-Demand Oil-Water Separation

Utilizing the redox property of polyaniline (PANI), Ag nanoparticles were uniformly grafted on PANI-coated fabric. After modification with a thiol mixture of HS(CH2)9CH3 and HS(CH2)10COOH, the prepared fabric exhibited pH-responsive reversible switching between superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity. Such smart fabric can be applied for on-demand corrosive water-oil separation with high flux and efficiency.