Mussel-Inspired Durable TiO2/PDA-Based Superhydrophobic Paper with Excellent Self-Cleaning, High Chemical Stability, and Efficient Oil/Water Separation Properties

Oceanic oil spill and the discharge of industrial oily wastewaters can cause significant threats to the ecological environment and human health. Herein, we design a durable TiO2/PDA-based superhydrophobic paper for efficient oil/water separation. Bioinspired from mussel adhesive proteins, the mechanical durability of the asprepared superhydrophobic paper is enhanced by the deposition of polydopamine (PDA) onto cellulosic fibers via self-polymerization of dopamine. The TiO2/PDA-based superhydrophobic paper shows a high water contact angle of 168.2 degrees and an oil contact angle of similar to 0 degrees, exhibiting excellent superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity. Furthermore, the asprepared superhydrophobic paper possesses excellent chemical stability, thermal stability, and mechanical durability in terms of being immersed in corrosive solutions and solvents and boiling water and being subjected to the sandpaper abrasion test, respectively. More importantly, the separation efficiency of the TiO2/PDA-based superhydrophobic paper for an oil/water mixture is 97.2%, and it maintains a separation efficiency above 94.3% even after 15 cyclic separation processes. Furthermore, the separation efficiency for water-in-oil emulsions is higher than 93.7% after 15 cyclic separation tests, showing its excellent recyclable stability for water-in-oil emulsions. Therefore, the rationally designed TiO2/PDA-based superhydrophobic paper shows great potential in the practical applications of self-cleaning, antifouling, and oil/water separation.

Automated summary

A durable TiO2/PDA-based superhydrophobic paper has been developed for efficient oil/water separation, exhibiting excellent superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity as well as outstanding chemical stability, thermal stability, and mechanical durability. The separation efficiency for oil/water mixture reaches 97.2% and maintains above 94.3% even after 15 cyclic separation processes. Moreover, the separation efficiency for water-in-oil emulsions is higher than 93.7% after 15 cyclic separation tests, demonstrating its excellent recyclable stability. Therefore, this rationally designed superhydrophobic paper shows great potential in practical applications such as self-cleaning, antifouling, and oil/water separation.