Underwater superoleophobic porous membrane based on hierarchical TiO₂ nanotubes: multifunctional integration of oil–water separation, flow-through photocatalysis and self-cleaning

Abstract

Superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic membranes based on hierarchical TiO2 nanotubes integrated the functions of oil–water separation, flow-through photocatalysis and self-cleaning.

Wettability behavior of special microscale ZnO nail-coated mesh films for oil–water separation

“…For the interesting wettability underwater, the oleophobicity of samples 2 and 3 may be due to that water permeates into and occupies the macropores among the microscale nails due to the hydrophilic property of samples 2 and 3, causing the formation of water cushion on the solid mesh surface [33][34][35][36][37]. Thus, it greatly reduces the contact area between the mesh and the oil droplets, which repels the infiltration of oil into the macropores among the microscale nails.…”

“…Recently, membranes with special surface wettability, especially superhydrophobic and oleophilic (oil penetration) properties, have aroused great interest for separating oily substances from water [1][2][3][4][5][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][31][32][33][34]. Based on the varied wettability behavior of ZnO nail-coated meshes (Table 2), we further investigate their potential application as a filter media for oil-water mixture separation.…”

Versatile fabrication of magnetic superhydrophobic foams and application for oil–water separation

“…Therefore, much attention was paid on developing facile methods for fast and selective removal of oils from water surface. A number of strategies have been proposed for achieving this goal, which mainly involved meshes [9][10][11][12][13], films [14,15], or membranes [16][17][18][19]. Although these previously developed materials can be effective for oil/water separation, they cannot be applied in the place of the oil spills because the polluted water should be first collected and then be filtered.…”

Recent Advances in TiO2‐Based Nanostructured Surfaces with Controllable Wettability and Adhesion

“…Zhai et al recently demonstrated a multifunctional porous TiO 2 nanotube membrane with superhydrophilic induced underwater superoleophobicity for oil/water separation, fl ow-through photocatalysis and self-cleaning by utilizing its excellent photocatalytic oxidation activity for the degradation of pollutant or contaminated organic molecules ( Figure 13 ). [ 103 ] The integration of the inherent photoinduced hydrophilic and photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 material enabled the convenient removal of the contaminants by UV irradiation and allowed for the facile recovery of the separated materials, making it promising for sustainable and high effi cient oil/water separation applications.…”