Superoleophilic and under-oil superhydrophobic organogel coatings for oil and water separation

The development of an effective and mechanically robust organogel coating that is both superoleophilic and under-oil superhydrophobic is presented. The organogel was shown to absorb and retain oil, and as a consequence render the surface superhydrophobic. The coating showed high repellence against water while letting oil pass through without the need to apply pressure. Utilization of the coating in oil and water separation was investigated and exhibited ≥ 99% separation efficiency for a wide variety of commercial oil. The coating was also shown to be mechanically robust and can withstand shear tests of different strengths and duration.