A novel reusable superhydrophilic NiO/Ni mesh produced by a facile fabrication method for superior oil/water separation

There is a critical need to develop durable and reusable materials for

oil–water separation, especially in harsh environments. Traditional antifouling

mesh-based separation technologies are not reusable and

limited by poor temperature resistance. Here we report a novel

superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic NiO/Ni mesh which

shows superior oil/water separation in harsh environments, with reusable

and durable properties that can separate different oil–water

mixtures with and without sand and soil contaminants, a >99% separation

efficiency and up to 5.4 104 L m2 h1 permeate flux. The

material is able to retain its superior performance over the 20 cycles we

measured and for mixtures of sticky oils its performance is easily

recoverable after a quick heat treatment. Our separation methodology

is solely gravity-driven and consequently is expected to be highly

energy-efficient. We anticipate that our separation methodology will

have numerous applications, including in the clean-up of oil spills,

wastewater treatment and other harsh condition oil–water separations.