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

Abstract

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/(m 2 .h), which is higher than high viscosity oils.