Chemistry - An Asian Journal
Chemistry - An Asian Journal
5 years ago

Janus Copper Mesh Film with Unidirectional Water Transportation Ability toward High Efficiency Oil/Water Separation

Janus Copper Mesh Film with Unidirectional Water Transportation Ability toward High Efficiency Oil/Water Separation
Bo Sun, Hongwei Liu, Bohan Wang, Hua Lai, Pengchang Liu, Dongjie Zhang, Zhongjun Cheng, Xiaoyan Yu, Kening Sun, Da Tian
Inspired by the special asymmetric wettability and controllable permeation function of cell membranes, we report a Janus nanostructured copper mesh film with unidirectional water transportation ability. Water can permeate from the hydrophobic side to the hydrophilic side, but is retained in the opposite direction. Notably, based on this special unidirectional water permeation property, both heavy oil/water mixtures (ρoil>ρwater) and light oil/water mixtures (ρoil<ρwater) can be separated. Additionally, the film demonstrates high separation efficiency and good recyclability. This paper reports a new Janus film that achieved highly efficient oil/water separation based on smart control of the wettability of the film. It is believed to have the potential to be used in many practical applications, such as wastewater treatment and oil-spill cleanup. Caught on film: A novel nanostructured copper mesh film with Janus wettability has been prepared. Water can permeate from the hydrophobic side to the hydrophilic side of the mesh, but be retained in the opposite direction. By using the film to separate oil/water mixtures, both heavy and light oil/water mixtures can be separated simply by changing the film orientation to the mixture (see figure).

Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/resolve/doi

DOI: 10.1002/asia.201700488

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