A convenient oil-water separator from polybutylmethacrylate/graphene-deposited polyethylene terephthalate nonwoven fabricated by a facile coating method

Abstract

Abstract A convenient oil-water separator of polybutylmethacrylate/graphene (PBMA/GE)-deposited polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nonwoven was fabricated by a casting coating method. The resulting nonwovens were characterized by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and contact angle measurements. The results reveal a hydrophobic and oleophilic surface with micro-nanoscale hierarchical network structures was formed by PBMA, GE and PET fiber web. Furthermore, we demonstrate the separation of oil–water mixtures using a facile apparatus, solely driven by gravity. As-prepared PBMA/GE-coated nonwovens exhibit high oil-water separation efficiency of over 95% up to eight cycles. Our finding as a facile, inexpensive, high-performance oil-water separator have a promising practical application in the oil spill cleanup and the removal of organic pollutants from water surface.