Preparation of superhydrophobic/oleophilic copper mesh for oil-water separation

A superhydrophobic and oleophilic copper mesh film with micro/nano hierarchical structures was prepared through facile electrodeposition and immersion processes. Contact angles of water and oil on the modified mesh were 152.4° and 12.6°, respectively. The modified mesh showed high oil-water separation efficiency (were above 90%) and rate with high oil flux of 4507 Lm−2 h−1. Results show that oil can pass through the coated mesh easily, whereas water was held on the modified mesh, which demonstrated that the coated films matched well with the requirements for effective separation of oil-water mixtures. Therefore, the coated mesh is a promising and effective membrane for separating oil-water mixtures.