Octadecyltrichlorosilane-Modified Superhydrophobic-Superoleophilic Stainless Steel Mesh for Oil-Water Separation

Abstract

Recently, oil-water separation has become an important topic due to its increasing commercial demand. Here, in this study, a simple technique to prepare superhydrophobic-superoleophilic mesh for oil-water separation is reported. The pre-cleaned stainless steel mesh is modified by octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODS) through solution immersion method. The modified mesh shows the water contact angle (WCA) of 158 ± 2° and oil contact angle (OCA) of 0°. The prepared superhydrophobic-superoleophilic mesh effectively separates various oils, including petrol, kerosene, diesel, vegetable oil, and coconut oil from oil–water mixtures with separation efficiency greater than 95%, and stable recyclability up to 10 cycles. In case of low viscosity oil (petrol), the modified mesh shows permeation flux of 2086.95 ± 104.34 L/(m2.h), which is higher than high viscosity oils