Oil/water separation through superhydrophobic/superoleophilic materials has attracted considerable interest over the past decades; however, dealing with oil spills on broad waters through an active way remains a challenge. Herein, we report a self-propelled smart device driven by the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide that can spontaneously move on the water surface and collect floating oil droplets inside with superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties. Moreover, the self-propelled smart device exhibits excellent stability and high efficiency for oil/water separation. We believe this study may provide a promising strategy for fabricating smart aquatic devices that have potential applications in water remediation.
Keywords: hydrophobic effect; oil/water separation; self-propulsion; smart devices; surface chemistry.
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