Excellent Separation Capability Research Articles

Engineering tandem double p-n heterostructured CeO2@CdS-Cu8S5 hollow spheres for remarkable photocatalytic CO2 reduction

Carbon cycling and value-added CO2 utilization through photocatalytic CO2 reduction are effective strategies for solving environmental problems and energy crises. Here, we rationally design and fabricate a double p-n heterostructured CeO2@CdS-Cu8S5 double-shelled hollow sphere (DSHSs) photocatalyst, which efficiently and stably performs photocatalytic CO2 reduction under visible light irradiation. Firstly, CeO2 hollow spheres were prepared by the template-assisted method. Then ultrathin CdS nanolayers were grown in situ by the chemical bath deposition method. Finally, part of the CdS was converted to Cu8S5 by cation exchange, resulting in the CeO2@CdS-Cu8S5 hybrid with uniform interfacial contact and ultrathin double-shelled hollow spherical structure. The constructed tandem double p-n heterostructure contributes to the excellent photo-induced charge separation and migration capability of the CeO2@CdS-Cu8S5 photocatalyst. Thanks to the multiple light scattering inside the double-shelled hollow structure, solar radiation can be absorbed more efficiently. In addition, the abundant exposed active sites also significantly contribute to the chemisorption of CO2 molecules and the progress of surface redox reactions. Based on the above properties, the optimized CeO2@CdS-Cu8S5 DSHSs without any noble metal cocatalyst exhibited excellent activity (18.25 µmol g–1h−1) and high selectivity (89.3%) during the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 deoxygenation to CH4.

Z-scheme photocatalysis and photoelectrochemical platform with a Co3O4-CuO heterogeneous catalyst for the removal of water pollutants and generation of energy

Protection of the environment by increasing the use of renewable energy sources has become a global priority. The use of renewable resources to generate green energy and remove contaminants from water is an ongoing endeavor. Excellent dye degradation and water-splitting performances have been achieved using photocatalysis, a green technology, combined with the use of heterojunction nanocomposites fabricated with urchin-like and spherical morphologies (Co3O4:CuO). In this study, a one-pot solvothermal approach was used to fabricate a Co3O4–CuO heterojunction composite for use as a multifunctional substrate in dye degradation and photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. For dye degradation, the weight percentage of CuO was adjusted against that of Co3O4; the fabricated CuO–Co3O4 (7.5 wt%) catalyst facilitated 82% degradation of azo dye within only 2 h. The improved catalyst was also used to degrade rhodamine B (76%), methylene blue (71%), and methyl orange (79%). Moreover, owing to its excellent photogenerated charge transfer kinetics and separation capability, the Co3O4–CuO photoelectrode exhibited a higher photocurrent density than the pristine materials in PEC water splitting. Linear sweep voltammetry under light illumination revealed that the photoresponse current of the multifunctional Co3O4–CuO composite was 6.05 mA/cm2 at a potential of 1.8 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), which is ∼2.01 and 3.1 times higher than those of pristine Co3O4 and CuO catalysts, respectively. The photocurrent response of the composite was 3.9 times higher than that under dark conditions. The substantial advantages offered by the fabricated composite over the pristine materials (Co3O4 and CuO), as well as its degradation and PEC water splitting capabilities, were attributed to the combined impact of numerous reactive sites, effective charge separation, increased light harvesting, and facile reactant transfer. Consequently, our research provides novel insights into the fabrication of unique binary nanocomposites with multiple applications and outstanding photocatalytic performance.

Prospects of Polymeric Nanocomposite Membranes for Water Purification and Scalability and their Health and Environmental Impacts: A Review.

Water shortage is a major worldwide issue. Filtration using genuine polymeric membranes demonstrates excellent pollutant separation capabilities; however, polymeric membranes have restricted uses. Nanocomposite membranes, which are produced by integrating nanofillers into polymeric membrane matrices, may increase filtration. Carbon-based nanoparticles and metal/metal oxide nanoparticles have received the greatest attention. We evaluate the antifouling and permeability performance of nanocomposite membranes and their physical and chemical characteristics and compare nanocomposite membranes to bare membranes. Because of the antibacterial characteristics of nanoparticles and the decreased roughness of the membrane, nanocomposite membranes often have greater antifouling properties. They also have better permeability because of the increased porosity and narrower pore size distribution caused by nanofillers. The concentration of nanofillers affects membrane performance, and the appropriate concentration is determined by both the nanoparticles’ characteristics and the membrane’s composition. Higher nanofiller concentrations than the recommended value result in deficient performance owing to nanoparticle aggregation. Despite substantial studies into nanocomposite membrane manufacturing, most past efforts have been restricted to the laboratory scale, and the long-term membrane durability after nanofiller leakage has not been thoroughly examined.

Polylactide aerogel with excellent comprehensive performances imparted by stereocomplex crystallization for efficient oil-water separation

Recently, polylactide (PLA) aerogel has been considered as an ideal oil-water separation and oil absorption material due to its renewability, biodegradability, considerable mechanical and processing performance. However, the practical application of PLA aerogel still faces some obstacles like inferior heat resistance, poor durability, and unsatisfactory oil-water separation and oil absorption performances. In this work, a promising strategy of constructing different amounts of stereocomplex (SC) crystallites in PLA aerogels via blending poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) with various amounts of poly(D-lactide) (PDLA) is devised to simultaneously overcome these obstacles. The results reveal that the formation of SC crystallites can not only improve the heat resistance and degradation resistance of the SC-type PLA (SC-PLA) aerogels, but also result in many nanopores on the pore walls of SC-PLA aerogels upon freeze-drying. SC-PLA aerogels with such special porous structures exhibit good hydrophobicity, excellent oil-water separation capability, and high absorption capacity for various oils and organic solvents. Specifically, the absorption capacity of SC-PLA50 aerogel can reach 42 times to its own weight, and good cycling stability of SC-PLA50 aerogel is confirmed by the absorption/evaporation cycling experiments. We believe this high-performanced SC-PLA aerogel can be applied in oil spill accidents and industrial wastewater pollution treatments.

Photothermal-Effect-Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting in MXene-Nanosheet-Modified ZnO Nanorod Arrays

Engineering semiconductor photoelectrodes with excellent photogenerated charge separation and transportation capabilities is of great practical interest for efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Herein, MXene nanosheets as a bifunctional surface modifier were grafted onto ZnO nanorod arrays for enhanced PEC water oxidation performance. As a hole transfer material, the MXene nanosheets combine with ZnO nanorods to construct a heterojunction for restraining the recombination of photogenerated charges and boosting charge separation. Furthermore, as a photothermal material, the MXene nanosheets can produce a lot of heat for elevating the surface temperature of photoanodes in situ under extra near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, thus accelerating the charge transfer and improving the oxygen evolution reaction kinetics. As a result, the photocurrent density, durability, bulk charge separation, and surface charge injection efficiency of the ZnO/MXene-NIR photoanode outperform significantly those of pure ZnO photoanodes. This proof-of-concept work may shed light on the development of advanced semiconductor-based composite materials with the synergy of the photoelectric and photothermal effects for solar energy conversion.

A recyclable and regenerated aerogel membrane derived from waste plastic for emulsion separation

Waste polyethylene (PE) poses potential risks to the environment and humans, because of its durability, non-biodegradability, and meager recyclability rate. As a resource recycling strategy, functional waste PE-derived materials could significantly promote environmental sustainability and public health by reducing waste PE. In this work, a hydrophobic aerogel membrane from waste PE plastic was fabricated by combining the swelling, solvent extraction, and followed by freeze-drying processes. The characterization results indicated that the obtained aerogel membrane exhibits unique ultra-light properties with rough and porous surfaces, which can enhance the oil/water separation selectivity and membrane flux. The hydrophobic PE aerogel membrane could realize traditional water-in-oil emulsion separation with separation efficiencies as high as 98.75 % and permeating flux up to 1726 L m-2 h-1. After 50 cycles, the separation flux remained over 1700 L m-2h-1, indicating its good recycling ability and durability. Moreover, it maintains excellent emulsion separation capability in harsh environments, including acid, alkali, and concentered salt. Also, the used PE aerogel membrane could be further converted into the new one to achieve a beneficial mode of waste closed-loop recycling.

Preparation of chiral stationary phase based on a [3+3] chiral polyimine macrocycle by thiol-ene click chemistry for enantioseparation in normal-phase and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography

Polyimine macrocycles are a new class of organic macrocycles with cyclic structures, well-defined molecular cavities, and multiple cooperative binding sites, which have recently aroused considerable research interest in molecular recognition and separation. Herein, we report the bonding of a [3+3] chiral polyimine macrocycle (H3L, C78H78N6O3) on thiol-functionalized silica gel using thiol-ene click chemistry to prepare a chiral stationary phase (CSP) for high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The fabricated column exhibited excellent chiral separation capability under both normal-phase and reversed-phase conditions. Fourteen and 10 racemates were well resolved on the column in normal-phase mode (using n-hexane/isopropanol as the mobile phase) and reversed-phase mode (using methanol/water as the mobile phase), respectively, including alcohols, esters, ethers, ketones, aldehydes, epoxides and organic acids. Moreover, the column also shows good selectivity toward positional isomers. Six positional isomers (dinitrobenzene, chloroaniline, bromoaniline, iodoaniline, nitrobrobenzene and nitrochlorobenzene) were well separated on the column. In addition, the effects of the injection mass and mobile phase composition on the separation were investigated. The column shows good reproducibility and stability after multiple injections with the relative standard deviation (RSD) (n = 5) of the retention time and resolution being < 0.96 % and 0.65 %, respectively. This study indicates that this type of chiral polyimine macrocycles is a promising chiral selector for HPLC enantioseparation and will push forward the applications of more novel chiral macrocycles for chiral chromatographic separation.

Separation of ofloxacin enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis with fluorescence detection using deoxyribonucleic acid oligonucleotides as chiral selectors.

This study used capillary electrophoresis with fluorescence detection- and a partial-filling mode-based method for chiral separation of ofloxacin. The deoxyribonucleic acid oligonucleotides with different base sequences were studied as potential chiral selectors including deoxyribonucleic acid tetrahedron, G-quadruplex, and G-riched double-strand deoxyribonucleic acid. Under the optimized conditions, all the deoxyribonucleic acid chiral selectors exhibited excellent chiral separation capabilities with a resolution higher than 1.5. The electrophoretic behavior of the ofloxacin enantiomer might result from the intermediate conjugate with different stabilities between chiral selectors and analytes by a combination of the hydrogen bond and spatial recognition structure. Moreover, satisfactory repeatability regarding run-to-run and interday repeatability was obtained, and all the relative standard deviation values of migration times and resolutions were below 4% (n=6). Conclusively, both spatial structure and arrangement of the G bases potentiated the chiral separation capability of deoxyribonucleic acid for ofloxacin enantiomer. This work offered a stepping stone for enantioseparation using deoxyribonucleic acid as chiral selectors.

Fast and highly sensitive Cd isotopic analyses in low-Cd complex samples with MC-ICPMS based on plasma electrochemical vapor generation

Cd isotopes have provided a powerful tool for better understanding Cd geochemical cycling in soil, water and biological systems. Conventional solution-based MC-ICPMS techniques used for Cd isotopic analysis typically requires time-consuming purification, which greatly limits the wide application of Cd isotope. In this work, a fast, highly sensitive and cost-effective Cd isotopic analysis method has been developed based on plasma electrochemical vapor generation (PEVG) coupled with MC-ICPMS. PEVG enhances sensitivity by more than 6 times compared with conventional pneumatic nebulization (PN) system, allowing Cd analysis to be carried out with samples as low as ∼ 13 ng. Usefully, the tolerance level for organic resin materials and matrix elements (Sn/In/Pd/Zr/Mo/Zn:Cd > 250:1) is greatly improved because of the excellent matrix separation capability inherent to PEVG. This allows simplification of the complex and time-consuming ion-exchange chromatography purification process, achieving a reduction of time by > 20 times compared to conventional two-step Cd purification process. The precision and accuracy of this method were first assessed by measuring NIST 3108 and BGEG-Cd standard under optimum conditions (δ114/110Cd of 0.00 ± 0.06‰ and −1.00 ± 0.06‰ (2sd, n = 25)). The method was also successfully applied to sensitive and fast determination of δ114/110Cd in various reference materials (soil, sediment, and basalt) and environmental samples (pyrite, galena, sphalerite, soils and tap water), validating the applicability of the proposed technique. Owing to the sensitivity, selectivity, low power, and low gas consumption of the PEVG, the proposed PEVG-MC-ICPMS technique provides a much faster and cost-effective approach for the accurate measurement of Cd isotopic compositions in low-Cd complex samples.

Superhydrophobic copper foam modified with hierarchical stearic acid/CuSiO3/Cu(OH)2 nanocomposites for efficient water/oil separation

Developing efficient, durable and affordable oil-water separation technologies is critical to address the challenges of oily wastewater treatment. In this work, a microsphere-like CuSiO3 embedded Cu(OH)2 nanowires array was prepared on copper foam (CF) support (defined as CF/Cu(OH)2/CuSiO3) by using a simple chemical etching and hydrothermal method. After modifying with stearic acid (SA), such a novel CF/Cu(OH)2/CuSiO3-SA membrane presented excellent superhydrophobicity with a static water contact angle of 155.6°. The ammonia concentration in the precursor solution and the hydrothermal reaction time were critical for the morphology and the associated hydrophobicity of the CF/Cu(OH)2/CuSiO3-SA membrane. The as-prepared superhydrophobic CF had efficient anti-corrosion and mechanical properties and demonstrated an excellent separation capability of oil-water mixtures with a separation efficiency of 98.4%. It also exhibited a good separation efficiency of 98.3% for various water-in-oil emulsions, and delivered an outstanding separation efficiency of 98.2% towards oil/water mixture after operating successive 30 cycles of oil-water separation. With the inherent advantages of high separation efficiency of oil/water emulsion, good physicochemical stability and durability, and high mechanical and corrosion resistance, the novel CF/Cu(OH)2/CuSiO3-SA membrane is potentially useful in practical applications for oily wastewater treatment.

Fluorous Metal–Organic Frameworks with Unique Cage-in-Cage Structures Featuring Fluorophilic Pore Surfaces for Efficient C 2 H 2 /CO 2 Separation

Fluorous Metal–Organic Frameworks with Unique Cage-in-Cage Structures Featuring Fluorophilic Pore Surfaces for Efficient C ₂ H ₂ /CO ₂ Separation

Recycled carbon fiber nonwoven functionalized with fluorine-free superhydrophobic PDMS/ZIF-8 coating for efficient oil-water separation

This study introduces a feasible approach for producing a functional nonwoven from carbon fiber waste and demonstrates its excellent performance in oil-water separation. Carbon fiber scraps were recycled into a nonwoven product through conventional textile processing methods of carding and needle-punching, followed by surface modification with fluorine-free coatings containing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and zeolite imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) particles. The capacity of PDMS/ZIF-8 coating to impart superhydrophobic-superoleophilic properties to the developed nonwoven was investigated, particularly for organic solvents/oils absorption, and oil-water separation. Different characterization techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET surface area, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize the synthesized ZIF-8 particles and developed coatings. The results showed that the application of PDMS initially increased the water contact angle, but its excess amount lowered the superhydrophobicity and absorption capacity of coated nonwovens. The presence of ZIF-8 particles boosted the superhydrophobicity and absorption capacity where the sample coated with PDMS/ZIF-8 exhibited superior superhydrophobicity having a water contact angle of 153.5°. The PDMS/ZIF-8 coated nonwoven displayed a highly efficient gravity-driven and continuous oil-water separation performance. This research presents a sustainable approach to the development of a multifunctional carbon fiber nonwoven with excellent oil-water separation capability from waste materials.

Electron-extracting system with enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production performance: Synergistic utilization of Z-scheme and Ohmic heterojunctions

Low utilization of photogenerated electrons is usually caused by severe carrier recombination, being one of bottlenecks towards acquiring highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production system. Here, an artificial Z-scheme CuWO4/ZnIn2S4 heterojunction is integrated with NixP/ZnIn2S4 Ohmic contact to form a fascinating ternary-component system. The Z-scheme heterojunction can not only preserve excellent carrier separation and sunlight harvesting capability, but also markedly eliminate the photogenerated holes and improve the long-term photostability of ZnIn2S4. Additionally, the electrons can be further extracted from ZnIn2S4 to NixP due to the Ohmic contact, finally enhancing the utilization of photogenerated electrons, inhibiting the electron/hole recombination and prolonging the lifetime of photogenerated electrons. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of Z-scheme structure and Ohmic contact, the ternary system with excellent electron-extracting capacity exhibits 14-folds enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity, compared to pure ZnIn2S4. This work may provide a valuable guideline in preparing highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production system.

Metal-Organic Frameworks as Versatile Media for Polymer Adsorption and Separation.

Molecular recognition is of paramount importance for modern chemical processes and has now been achieved for small molecules using well-established host-guest chemistry and adsorption-science principles. In contrast, technologies for recognizing polymer structure are relatively undeveloped. Conventional polymer separation methods, which are mostly limited in practice to size-exclusion chromatography and reprecipitation, find it difficult to recognize minute structural differences in polymer structures as such small structural alterations barely influence the polymer characteristics, including molecular size, polarity, and solubility. Therefore, most of the polymeric products being used today contain mixtures of polymers with different structures as it is challenging to completely control polymer structures during synthesis even with state-of-the-art substitution and polymerization techniques. In this context, development of novel techniques that can resolve the challenges of polymer recognition and separation is in great demand, as these techniques hold the promise of a new paradigm in polymer synthesis, impacting not only materials chemistry but also analytical and biological chemistry.In biological systems, precise recognition and translation of base monomer sequences of mRNA are achieved by threading them through small ribosome tunnels. This principle of introducing polymers into nanosized channels can possibly help us design powerful polymer recognition and separation technologies using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as ideal and highly designable recognition media. MOFs are porous materials comprising organic ligands and metal ions and have been extensively studied as porous beds for gas separation and storage. Recently, we found that MOFs can accommodate large polymeric chains in their nanopores. Polymer chains can spontaneously infiltrate MOFs from neat molten and solution phases by threading their terminals into MOF nanochannels. Polymer structures can be recognized and differentiated due to such insertion processes, resulting in the selective adsorption of polymers on MOFs. This enables the precise recognition of the polymer terminus structure, resulting in the perfect separation of a variety of terminal-functionalized polymers that are otherwise difficult to separate by conventional polymer separation methods. Furthermore, the MOFs can recognize polymer shapes, thus enabling the large-scale separation of high purity cyclic polymers from the complex crude mixtures of linear polymers, which are used as precursor materials in common cyclization reactions. In solution-phase adsorption, many factors, including molecular weight, terminal groups, polymer shape, polymer-MOF interaction, and coexisting solvent molecules, influence the selective adsorption behavior; this yields a new liquid chromatography-based polymer separation technology using an MOF as the stationary phase. MOF-packed columns, in which a novel separation mode based on polymer insertion into the MOF operates under a dynamic insertion/rejection equilibrium at the liquid/solid interface, exhibited excellent polymer separation capability. The polymer recognition principle described in this study thus has a high probability for realizing previously unfeasible polymer separations based on monomer composition and sequences, stereoregularity, regioregularity, helicity, and block sequences in synthetic polymers and biomacromolecules.

Poly(ionic liquid)-Based charge and size selective loose nanofiltration membrane for molecular separation

• Poly(ionic liquid)-based loose nanofiltration membrane (with 450 Da from MWCO) was synthesized by DIPS. • The effect of PIL concentration on membrane performance has been studied. • The loose NF membrane possessed improved hydrophilicity and water permeability. • Excellent molecular retention (>99%) and separation efficiency (>96%) have been recognized. Separation of chemicals using membranes in smaller size regimes is a much-complicated process. An ideal membrane for molecular separation should be more hydrophilic with well-defined pore sizes for ensuring the selectivity to give a maximum solvent flux. Here, we report a poly(itaconic acid-co-styrene-co-sulfobetaine vinylimidazole) (PIL)/PSf blend selective filtration membrane with nanochannels for superior molecular separation. FESEM images showed asymmetrical membrane structure with a dense upper layer on the hallow spherical sphere, though contact angle measurements reported improved membrane hydrophilicity. Newly developed loose nanofiltration membranes showed a superior removal performance of synthetic dyes based on their size and charge, such as congo red (2.5 × 0.7 nm 2 size, 99%) and Eriochrome Black T (1.5 × 0.8 nm 2 sizes, 99%). The passage of methyl orange (1.1 × 0.4 nm 2 ) demonstrating an excellent molecular separation capability due to their stable networks of interconnected nanochannel and thin selective layer. The overall results are promising and paving the way for environmental friendly and energy-efficient separation of chemicals through membranes in industrial applications.

Graphene Oxide Membranes for Tunable Ion Sieving in Acidic Radioactive Waste.

Graphene oxide (GO) membranes with unique nanolayer structure have demonstrated excellent separation capability based on their size‐selective effect, but there are few reports on achieving ion–ion separation, because it is difficult to inhibit the swelling effect of GO nano sheets as well as to precisely control the interlayer spacing d to a specific value between the sizes of different metal ions. Here, selective separation of uranium from acidic radioactive waste containing multication is achieved through a precise dual‐adjustment strategy on d. It is found that GO swelling is greatly restricted in highly acidic solution due to protonation effect. Then the interlayer spacing is further precisely reduced to below the diameter of uranyl ion by increasing the oxidation degree of GO. Sieving uranyl ions from other nuclide ions is successfully realized in pH =3–3 mol L−1 nitric acid solutions.

Novel p-type Ag-WO3 nano-composite for low-cost electronics, photocatalysis, and sensing: synthesis, characterization, and application

Semiconductor–metal nanocomposites provide a simple and convenient way to tailor the properties of semiconductors and promote various properties and photoinduced processes like photovoltaic, photo-sensing, and photocatalysis. This article provides a detailed study on the facile synthesis and structural, optical, and electrical characterization of novel p-type silver-tungsten oxide (Ag-WO3) nanocomposite using co-precipitation technique. Results indicate that it has an indirect bandgap of 2.9 eV and possesses excellent charge separation capability, as established by photoluminescence and impedance spectroscopy analysis. TEM and AFM results show the formation of WO3 nano-plates with side length ranging from 10 nm to 25 nm, with the presence of silver nanoparticles (dimension 10–12 nm) either at its center or at the edges. P-type conductivity in the synthesized composite is investigated using PL analysis, which revealed that silver serves as a deep acceptor with acceptor level 1.4 eV above the valance band. To further demonstrate the capability of synthesized Ag-WO3 in electronics, the current–voltage graph of Ag-WO3/Ag Schottky junction with knee voltage 0.59 V is also summarized, which suggest that Ag-WO3 is an effective p-type semiconductor for electronic application too. This study provides new insight into the fabrication and practical application of Ag-WO3 nanocomposite to produce efficient low cost electronic, sensing, and photocatalytic devices.

High-flux oil–water separation with superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity ZIF-67@Cu(OH)2 nanowire membrane

High flux superwetting material has reverse wettability to oil or water phase, which plays an important part in oil–water separation and is one of the current research hotspots. Herein, we reported a ZIF-67@Cu(OH)2 nanowire array-coated metal mesh prepared using self-assembly and chemical oxidation method. These freshly prepared copper meshes with micro-/nanosecondary rough structure exhibit excellent underwater superoleophobicity and superhydrophilicity. Thus, the as-prepared mesh membrane has an excellent separation capability and can be used for oil–water separation. It shows extremely high efficiency oil–water separation function (99%), excellent cycling ability and high permeation flux (23,854 L m−2 h−1) in several typical oil–water separation processes. The mesh membrane also shows excellent underwater superoleophobicity in different pH values conditions. Besides, the as-prepared mesh membrane shows excellent durability and stability. Consequently, this work provides an economical and effective method for modification on metal substrate to prepare a underwater superoleophobicity/superhydrophilicity material to realize efficient separation of oil–water mixtures.

Rapid and Stable Plasma Transformation of Polyester Fabrics for Highly Efficient Oil-Water Separation.

Fabrics with special wettability have drawn growing attention in recent years in the area of oil–water separation due to their low cost, good flexibility, and ease of handling. However, an efficient and fast method to enable the required wetting state on fabrics still remains a challenge. In this work, a one‐step, rapid, and chemical‐free hydrogen plasma treatment is reported to prepare a superhydrophobic and oleophilic polyester fabric. The as‐prepared fabrics display a static water contact angle of 153.2° with excellent oil–water separation capability. The mechanism of surface transformation is discussed through chemical analyses, which indicate a significant removal of carboxyl group from the pristine hydrophilic surface. This developed method is envisaged to be used for on‐demand large‐scale production of materials for emergency oil cleanup through either separation or selective adsorption.

Enhanced water collection of bio-inspired functional surfaces in high-speed flow for high performance demister

Performance enhancement of thermal desalination processes requires the excellent water separation capabilities in demisters. However, in high-speed gas flow, the re-entrainment of captured water from the surfaces to the gas flow can considerably decrease the water collection capabilities and the corresponding separation efficiency. Herein, we report fabrication of micro-structured polymer surfaces with excellent water capturing properties in low- and high-speed gas flow conditions by using a facile molding process. Inspired by the surfaces of bio-species, the fabricated surfaces possess vertically-aligned micro-scale cone arrays and sets of microchannels to significantly enhance the capillary pressure. As a result, those hybrid-structured surfaces exhibit up to 2.4 and 4.7 times higher excellent water collection capabilities than control planar at low- and high-speed flow conditions, respectively. In addition, the mist eliminator with the hybrid surfaces performs 1.8 times higher water collection behavior than the control mist eliminator with bare surfaces. The results show the promise of developing the surfaces with engineered structures for significantly enhancing water collection without changing the shapes of flow passages in target objects.