Fabrication of superhydrophobic copper mesh by depositing CuCl for oil/water separation

A superhydrophobic/superoleophilic copper mesh with CuCl crystals for oil/water separation has been fabricated by immersing copper mesh in acidic CuCl2 solution and then grafting with 1-dodecanethiol. The mesh exhibits superhydrophobicity, with a water contact angle (WCA) of 151° and a water sliding angle of 4°. The mesh was used to separate various oil/water mixtures, including isooctane/water, petroleum ether/water, n-hexadecane/water, n-hexane/water and chloroform/water, with separation efficiencies over 95%. The mesh still kept separation efficiency above 99% and a WCA of 146° even after 20 separation cycles for chloroform/water mixture. In addition, the mesh could not only maintain high hydrophobicity after 50 g sand impact but also resist water droplets with different pH, indicating it has good mechanical and chemical durability.