Fabrication of lotus-leaf-like carbonized foams with superhydrophilicity for Oil/Water separation in complex environment

Super-wetting materials capable of separating oil/water mixtures under complex environment are urgently desired. Herein, a novel carbonized foam with “lotus-leaf-like” microstructures was prepared through a simple strategy of dip-coating followed by carbonization. Remarkably, no crosslinker or bonding adhesive was applied in the whole fabrication process. The “lotus-leaf-like” microstructure had core–shell structured papillae in which the hydrophilic and corrosion-resistant nickel core was partially covered by the chemically inert graphite carbon shell. Due to this unique structure, the carbonized foams exhibited superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity. More importantly, the obtained foams presented both high water flux (＞90496.2 L m-2h−1) and oil/water separation efficiency (＞98.3 %) even in highly acidic, alkaline and salty environment. This work might open up a new avenue to fabricate novel materials with appealing performance for oily wastewater treatment, especially in some harsh environments.