An Effective Method for Separation of Oil and Water Using Superhydrophobic/Superoleophilic Aluminum Mesh

Special wetting materials with superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity have attracted considerable attention because these materials make it possible to selectively separate a mixture of oil and water without any extra power. In this paper, we report the fabrication process for superhydrophobic/ superoleophilic aluminum mesh with nanostructured aluminum hydroxide layer on the surface by alkali surface modification method and subsequent self-assembled monolayer coating. The fabricated aluminum mesh can selectively separate and collect oils from an oil and water mixture. The fabrication method has advantages of simplicity, low cost, and scalability, and can thus be used for large-scale production of superhydrophobic metal materials for use in filtration of wastewater and oil spill cleanup in various environments.