Dual-bionic superwetting gears with liquid directional steering for oil-water separation

Developing an effective and sustainable method for separating and purifying oily wastewater is a significant challenge. Conventional separation membrane and sponge systems are limited in their long-term usage due to weak antifouling abilities and poor processing capacity for systems with multiple oi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2023-07, Vol.14 (1), p.4128-4128, Article 4128
Main Authors: Liu, Zhuoxing, Zhan, Zidong, Shen, Tao, Li, Ning, Zhang, Chengqi, Yu, Cunlong, Li, Chuxin, Si, Yifan, Jiang, Lei, Dong, Zhichao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Antifouling substances
Bionics
Design
Efficiency
Emulsions
Gears
Humanities and Social Sciences
multidisciplinary
Oil spills
Overflow
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Separation
Steering
Surface energy
Surface properties
Synergistic effect
Topology
Wastewater
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Summary:Developing an effective and sustainable method for separating and purifying oily wastewater is a significant challenge. Conventional separation membrane and sponge systems are limited in their long-term usage due to weak antifouling abilities and poor processing capacity for systems with multiple oils. In this study, we present a dual-bionic superwetting gears overflow system with liquid steering abilities, which enables the separation of oil-in-water emulsions into pure phases. This is achieved through the synergistic effect of surface superwettability and complementary topological structures. By applying the surface energy matching principle, water and oil in the mixture rapidly and continuously spread on preferential gear surfaces, forming distinct liquid films that repel each other. The topological structures of the gears facilitate the overflow and rapid transfer of the liquid films, resulting in a high separation flux with the assistance of rotational motion. Importantly, this separation model mitigates the decrease in separation flux caused by fouling and maintains a consistently high separation efficiency for multiple oils with varying densities and surface tensions. Developing efficient separation methods for oily wastewater holds significant global importance. In this study, the authors combine supewettability and bio-inspired topological structures to demonstrate a dual-bionic superwetting gear system with liquid directional steering to achieve oil-water separation.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-023-39851-1