Water pollution especially contributing by the organic contaminations and accidental oil spills is one of the major environmental challenges due to their direct impact on the human and marine life. A superhydrophobic surface was constructed on the surface of the stainless steel mesh which displayed a specific superwettability. The superhydrophobic mesh selectively allows the passage of the oil while repelled the water as it touches the mesh surface. The superhydrophobic surface was achieved by electrochemically coating the copper and oxidizing the copper on the surface of the mesh in the strong oxidizing medium. Through this, the grassy like microarchitecture of the copper oxide achieved which spread throughout the stainless steel mesh. The surface has become superhydrophobic after interacting with the fatty acid. The surface strongly repelled water which was evident from the high water contact angle &gt;150 degree. The hydrophobic surface integration on the stainless steel mesh was characterized and confirmed by using the XPS, XRD, SEM and the FTIR instrumentation. The separation efficiency for various non-polar solvents from the water was achieved &gt; 99%. The developed hydrophobic mesh can be a valuable addition to the designed material for oil and water separations due to its controlled morphology, efficient performance and cost-effectiveness.

Electrochemically generated superhydrophobic meshes for efficient separation of oil from water

2019 Spring National Meeting

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