Fabrication of a superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic stainless steel mesh for oil/water separation with ultrahigh flux

Because of the increasing amount of oily wastewater produced each day, it is important to develop superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic oil/water separation membranes with ultrahigh flux and high separation efficiency. In this paper, a superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic N-isopropylacrylamide-coated stainless steel mesh was prepared through a simple and convenient graft polymerization approach. The obtained mesh was able to separate oil/water mixtures only by gravity. In addition, the mesh showed high-efficiency separation ability (99.2%) and ultrahigh flux (235239 L.m(-2).h(-1)). Importantly, due to the complex cross-linked bilayer structure, the prepared mesh exhibited good recycling performance and chemical stability in highly saline, alkaline and acidic environments.

Automated summary

In this study, a superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic oil/water separation membrane with high separation efficiency and ultrahigh flux was successfully prepared. The membrane achieved oil/water separation without the need for external forces and exhibited good recycling performance and chemical stability in complex environments.