Oil-Water Separation Using Superhydrophobic PET Membranes Fabricated Via Simple Dip-Coating Of PDMS-SiO2 Nanoparticles

The surfaces of commercially available polyester (PET) and polypropylene (PP) are superhydrophobically modified via the deposition of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-coated SiO2 nanoparticles (P-SiO2) and PDMS binder. The adhesion of P-SiO2 is stronger on PET than on PP due to a stronger chemical interaction between PET and PDMS, which is attributed to the higher surface energy of PET than PP. The waterproof ability and oil separation rate of the P-SiO2-coated PET (dip-PET) membranes are studied as a function of membrane thickness, and the influence of oil viscosity on the oil separation efficiency is investigated. Optimal membrane thickness should be selected in a given environment for the facile oil-water separation and the dip-PET membrane is chemically stable and can be used repetitively for oil-water separation. Finally, an automated prototype instrument is introduced for the dip-coating process. It is suggested that our dip-PET is a promising solution for oil-water separation in real-world oil-spill applications.