United States. In the wake of recent offshore oil spills and with the growing popularity of hydraulic fracturing, there is a need to find easy and quick ways to separate oil and water. Now, Scientists at Washington have developed coatings that can do just that. Their report on materials, which could also stop surfaces from getting fog and dirt, appears in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
J.P.S. Badyal and colleagues point out that oil spill cleanup teams often use absorbents, such as clays, straw, and wool to absorb oil, but these materials are not very efficient, as they also absorb a large amount of water.
So some additional measures and equipment have been needed to remove the oil from the absorbent, which is difficult to do on a ship. Recently, researchers have focused their attention on new smart materials called oleophobic – hydrophilic coatings, which instead leave water and repel oil.
However, research indicates that films that have been reported so far take several minutes to make the separation, are complicated to make, or are not very good at rejecting oil. Thus, Badyal's team proposed to improve these materials.
They developed oleophobic - hydrophilic coatings that they apply to metal mesh parts, just like those used in access doors. When a mixture of water and oil was poured over the mesh, the water dripped through the inside of the bottom container, while the oil was kept high on the surface of the mesh. Then, simply tilt the mesh so that the oil would go into another container. Studies showed that the separation was instantaneous and more efficient than existing films, and only took one step to make the coating. The team also proved that it could serve as an anti-fogging and self-cleaning film.
Leave your comment