Microscopic Dimensions Engineering: Stepwise Manipulation of the Surface Wettability on 3D Substrates for Oil/Water Separation

Ran Du; Xin Gao; Qingliang Feng; Qiuchen Zhao; Pan Li; Shibin Deng; Liurong Shi; Jin Zhang

doi:10.1002/adma.201504542

Microscopic Dimensions Engineering: Stepwise Manipulation of the Surface Wettability on 3D Substrates for Oil/Water Separation

Adv Mater. 2016 Feb 3;28(5):936-42. doi: 10.1002/adma.201504542. Epub 2015 Nov 30.

Authors

Ran Du¹, Xin Gao¹, Qingliang Feng^{1

2}, Qiuchen Zhao¹, Pan Li¹, Shibin Deng¹, Liurong Shi¹, Jin Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory for the Physics and Chemistry of Nanodevices, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China.
² School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, P. R. China.

PMID: 26618329
DOI: 10.1002/adma.201504542

Abstract

Microscopic dimensions engineering is proposed to devise a series of 3D superhydrophobic substrates with microstructures of different dimensions. Combined theoretical modeling and experiments give the relationship of surface roughness and superhydrophobic properties, important for guiding the design of superior superwettable materials for water remediation and other uses.

Keywords: 3D substrates; foams; microscopic dimensions; oil/water separation; superhydrophobicity.