PH-controllable on-demand oil/water separation on the switchable superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic and underwater low-adhesive superoleophobic copper mesh film

Recently, materials with controlled oil/water separation ability became a new research focus. Herein, we report a novel copper mesh film, which is superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic for nonalkaline water and alkaline water, respectively. Meanwhile, the film shows superoleophobicity in alkaline water. Using the film as a separating membrane, the oil/water separating process can be triggered on-demand by changing the water pH, which shows a good controllability. Moreover, it is found that the nanostructure and the appropriate pore size of the substrate are important for realization of a good separation effect. This paper offers a new insight into the application of surfaces with switchable wettability, and the film reported here has such a special ability that allows it to be used in other applications, such as sewage purification, filtration, and microfluidic device.