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Facile fabrication of a robust superwetting three-dimensional (3D) nickel foam for oil/water separation

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Abstract

A superwetting three-dimensional (3D) nickel foam was prepared by a facile electrodeposition process. Wettability, surface morphology, and chemical composition were characterized with contact angle test, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. According to the results, the as-prepared 3D nickel foam presented robust superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity with good mechanical and chemical stability simultaneously. Furthermore, with the superwetting behavior, the nickel foam showed excellent oil/water separation capability with both high efficiency and lasting recyclability. Besides, the simple, low cost, and environmentally friendly fabrication process endows a scale-up of 3D nickel foam for oil/water separation and pollution disposal of leakage of organic solvents.

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Acknowledgements

YH gratefully acknowledges Prof. H. Wang Analysis and Testing Center of Sichuan University for useful discussions and supports. The authors thank H. Wang for assistance with SEM measurements. This work was supported by the Youth science and technology creative group fund of Southwest Petroleum University (2015CXTD03).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Lab of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Southwest Petroleum University, Rd. 8, Xindu District, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610500, People’s Republic of China

    Yi He

  2. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610500, People’s Republic of China

    Xi Chen, Yi He, Yi Fan, Qiangbin Yang, Guangyong Zeng & Heng Shi

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  1. Xi Chen
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Correspondence to Yi He or Yi Fan.

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Chen, X., He, Y., Fan, Y. et al. Facile fabrication of a robust superwetting three-dimensional (3D) nickel foam for oil/water separation. J Mater Sci 52, 2169–2179 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-016-0505-4

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