Fabrication of bioinspired structured superhydrophobic and superoleophilic copper mesh for efficient oil-water separation

Oily water treatment has attracted the attention of many researchers. The development of effective and cheap oil/water separation materials is urgent for treating this problem. Herein, inspired by superhydrophobic typical plant leaves such as lotus, red rose and marigold, superhydrophobic and superoleophilic copper mesh was fabricated by etching and then surface modification with 1-dodecanethiol (HS(CH2)11CH3). A rough silver layer is formed on the mesh surface after immersion. The obtained mesh surface exhibits superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity and the static water contact angle was 153° ± 3°. In addition, the as-prepared copper mesh shows self-cleaning character with water and chemical stability. The as-prepared copper foam can easily remove the organic solvents either on water or underwater. We demonstrate that by using the as-prepared mesh, oils can be absorbed and separated, and that high separation efficiencies of larger than 92% are retained for various oils. Thus, such superhydrophobic and superoleophilic copper mesh is a very promising material for the application of oil spill cleanup and industrial oily wastewater treatment.