Underwater superoleophobic and underoil superhydrophobic surface made by liquid-exfoliated MoS2 for on-demand oil-water separation

Intrinsic wettability of atomically thin solids has a great impact on science and technology. Herein, the wetting property of liquid-exfoliated molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) was investigated. The prepared MoS2 nanosheets can be well dispersed in nonpolar (1,2-dichloroethane and 1-dodecanol) and polar (water-ethanol cosolvent) solvents. Similarly, the MoS2-coated fabric shows excellent underwater superoleophobic and underoil superhydrophobic properties. Taking advantage of the unusual intrinsic wettability, few-layered MoS2 demonstrates the great potential in on-demand oil-water separation.