On-demand oil-water separation via low-voltage wettability switching of core-shell structures on copper substrates

[Display omitted] •A copper mesh with copper–copper oxide core–shell structure is fabricated.•Opposite affinities towards water and oil via low-voltage application and air drying.•Switchable wettability allows separation of both light and heavy oils from water.•The mesh exhibits separation efficienc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied surface science 2018-06, Vol.444, p.15-27
Main Authors: Kung, Chun Haow, Zahiri, Beniamin, Sow, Pradeep Kumar, Mérida, Walter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Core-shell
Oil-water separation
Stimuli responsive
Superhydrophobic
Switchable wettability
Underwater superoleophobic
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Summary:[Display omitted] •A copper mesh with copper–copper oxide core–shell structure is fabricated.•Opposite affinities towards water and oil via low-voltage application and air drying.•Switchable wettability allows separation of both light and heavy oils from water.•The mesh exhibits separation efficiency greater than 98% over 30 separation cycles. A copper mesh with dendritic copper-oxide core-shell structure is prepared using an additive-free electrochemical deposition strategy for on-demand oil-water separation. Electrochemical manipulation of the oxidation state of the copper oxide shell phase results in opposite affinities towards water and oil. The copper mesh can be tuned to manifest both superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties to enable oil-removal. Conversely, switching to superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic allows water-removal. These changes correspond to the application of small reduction voltages (
ISSN:0169-4332
1873-5584
DOI:10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.02.238