Open AccessRapid and Stable Plasma Transformation of Polyester Fabrics for Highly Efficient Oil–Water Separation
Author(s) -
Sun Ye,
Ouyang Bo,
Rawat Rajdeep Singh,
Chen Zhong
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
global challenges
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2056-6646
DOI - 10.1002/gch2.201900095
Subject(s) - wetting , polyester , materials science , contact angle , adsorption , chemical engineering , plasma , flexibility (engineering) , separation (statistics) , process engineering , composite material , chemistry , organic chemistry , computer science , engineering , physics , statistics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , machine learning
Abstract Fabrics with special wettability have drawn growing attention in recent years in the area of oil–water separation due to their low cost, good flexibility, and ease of handling. However, an efficient and fast method to enable the required wetting state on fabrics still remains a challenge. In this work, a one‐step, rapid, and chemical‐free hydrogen plasma treatment is reported to prepare a superhydrophobic and oleophilic polyester fabric. The as‐prepared fabrics display a static water contact angle of 153.2° with excellent oil–water separation capability. The mechanism of surface transformation is discussed through chemical analyses, which indicate a significant removal of carboxyl group from the pristine hydrophilic surface. This developed method is envisaged to be used for on‐demand large‐scale production of materials for emergency oil cleanup through either separation or selective adsorption.