Porous superhydrophobic and superoleophilic surfaces prepared by template assisted chemical vapor deposition

Separating oil from water is an urgent problem owing to the increase of oily wastewater and oil spills. We propose an effective method to fabricate porous silica coated copper mesh (PSCCM) using template assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for oil/water separation. After modification with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), the PSCCM exhibits superhydrophobic/superoleophilic property with high separation efficiency and selectivity. And also it is of a good mechanical robustness, high chemical resistance, thermal stability, and high recyclability.