Nanostructured Three-Dimensional Percolative Channels for Separation of Oil-in-Water Emulsions
Jian Jin,
Xiaoli Zhao,
Yong-Hua Du,
Mei Ding,
Chengjie Xiang,
Ning Yan,
Chuankun Jia,
Zheng Han,
Lidong Sun
Affiliations
Jian Jin
State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Transmission, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Xiaoli Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Transmission, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Yong-Hua Du
Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, A*STAR, 1 Pesek Road, Jurong Island, Singapore 627833, Singapore
Mei Ding
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Changsha University of Science & Technology, Changsha 410114, China
Chengjie Xiang
State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Transmission, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Ning Yan
State Key Laboratory of Rolling and Automation, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
Chuankun Jia
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Changsha University of Science & Technology, Changsha 410114, China; Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China; Corresponding author
Zheng Han
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; School of Material Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui 230026, China; Corresponding author
Lidong Sun
State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Transmission, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China; Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China; Corresponding author
Summary: Separation of oil/water mixtures has been one of the leading green technologies for applications such as oil recovery and water purification. Conventional methods to separate oil from water are based on phase separation via physical settlement or distillation. However, challenges still remain in the effective extraction of micron-sized oil droplets dispersed in water, in which case gravity fails to work as separating force. Here, we conformably decorate porous titanium (average pore size 30 μm) with superhydrophilic nanotubes. The resulting three-dimensional superhydrophilic micro channels thus provide a driving force for oil-water separation at the nanotube/emulsion interface, enhancing significantly the water infiltration rate. The high efficiency (>99.95%, with oil droplets of average diameter 10 μm) and strong mechanical durability make the structure a reusable oil/water separator. Our findings pave the way for future applications of oil-in-water emulsion separation, which can be readily scaled up for massive demulsification. : Chemical Engineering; Separation Science; Materials Science; Composite Materials Subject Areas: Chemical Engineering, Separation Science, Materials Science, Composite Materials
