Design and preparation of superhydrophobic NiS nanorods on Ni mesh for oil-water separation

Oil-water separation has aroused enormous attention since the frequent oil leakage and discharging of oily wastewater seriously affected the environment and humans. Therefore, superwetting materials are desired for economic and high-efficiency oil-water separation. For this purpose, a superhydrophobic NiS nanorods/Ni mesh was achieved in this work via the solvothermal reaction and followed myristic acid modification. The coated mesh displayed reverse affinities for water and oil, allowing oils or organic solvents to be separated and collected using a facile device, and the calculated separation efficiency was over 96%. The separation efficiency for removing kerosene was over 95% even after 20 separation cycles. Besides, the coated mesh possessed excellent chemical and mechanical stability to endure the harsh application environment. In addition, the superhydrophobicity of this NiS nanorods/Ni mesh could prevent the surface from being adhered by liquid or solid contaminants to avoid blocking mesh pores. The NiS nanorods/Ni mesh is beneficial for realizing efficient and economic oil-water separation, making it an applicability of environmental protection.