Facile fabrication of zinc oxide coated superhydrophobic and superoleophilic meshes for efficient oil/water separation

Zinc oxide (ZnO) coated superhydrophobic and superoleophilic stainless steel meshes are facilely fabricated via chemical immersion growth and subsequent surface modification. The as-prepared meshes show good mechanical durability, chemical stability and corrosion-resistant properties due to a combination of the hierarchical ZnO structure and the low surface energy modification. More importantly, the as-prepared meshes are used for highly efficient separation of various oil/water mixtures. Meanwhile, a new oil skimmer based on the as-prepared mesh is proposed to spontaneously collect floating oil with high separation efficiency and desirable durability.