Investigation of grafting silane coupling agents on superhydrophobicity of carbonyl iron/SiO(2) particles for efficient oil/water mixture and emulsion separation

The present study demonstrated the wettability properties of grafting silane coupling agents on carbonyl iron (CI)/SiO(2) particles for efficient oil/water mixture and emulsion separation. CI particles were first reacted with Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) to create a magnetic component. Then, CI/SiO(2) particles were altered by 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane (FAS) and Hexamethyldisilazane (HDMS) to create magnetic superhydrophobic/superoleophilic, recyclable, and reusable sorbent powders. The water contact angle (WCA) values of the as-prepared particles, CI, CI/SiO(2), CI/SiO(2)@FAS, and CI/SiO(2)@HMDS, were 5.4° ± 1.3°, 6.4° ± 1.4°, 151.9° ± 2.1°, and 170.1° ± 1.1°, respectively. In addition, the oil contact angles (OCAs) of a variety of oils were found to be equivalent to 0°. Hence, superhydrophobic/superoleophilic particles for kind of different oils were shown sorption capacities of 1.7–3.1 g/g and 2.5–4.3 g/g for CI/SiO(2)@FAS, and CI/SiO(2)@HMDS, respectively. Besides, for 1%w/w hexane/water emulsion separation efficiency higher than 99%, the lowest mass was obtained at 50 and 200 mg for CI/SiO(2)@HDMS and CI/SiO(2)@HDMS, respectively, suggesting a new effective material for separating tiny oil droplets. Also, the reusability and chemical durability of the superhydrophobic samples made them a prime candidate for use in different harsh conditions.