Fabrication of a robust superhydrophobic stainless steel mesh for efficient oil/water separation

Selective oil removal from water is a critical problem in the realm of environmental science and engineering. Metallic meshes are commonly used as potential oil - water separators due to their low cost and good mechanical properties. Meshes with selective wettability can effectively remove oil or water from their mixtures easily using gravity -based filtration. In this work, a mechanically robust Ni-WS 2 based superhydrophobic stainless steel mesh (SHSM) has been developed via one-step electrodeposition. The surface morphologies, surface roughness, phase composition, and wettability were studied using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Water Contact Angle (WCA) measurements respectively. A high water contact angle of 169.5 degrees with excellent superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties was achieved by tuning the surface morphology of the mesh. The oil/water separation performance of the developed SHSM was studied and the efficiency was greater than 98% even after multiple uses. Further, the SHSM is highly corrosion -resistant and exhibits self-cleaning properties with excellent mechanical and chemical stability against strong acidic/ alkaline solutions. Thus, the developed multifunctional SHSM demonstrates its potential at industrial -level applications of oil - water separation under harsh environments.