ZrO2-coated stainless steel mesh with underwater superoleophobicity by electrophoretic deposition for durable oil/water separation

Underwater superoleophobic mesh has been broadly investigated but its mechanical durability was seldom mentioned. Thus, in this work a ZrO2-coated stainless steel mesh was prepared for durable oil/water separation by an electrophoretic deposition method using ZrO2 sol as electrolyte. The ZrO2 coating is of hierarchical structure, making the Z-SSM superhydrophilic in air and superoleophobic underwater. The mesh exhibited outstanding separation efficiency of above 97.5% for various oil/water mixtures. The separation efficiency of n-hexane/water mixture maintained over 98% after 50 times of recycle separation. Moreover, the coated mesh maintained high separation efficiency after 30 cycles of abrasion, showing good stability.