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Oil–Water Separation Using Superhydrophobic PET Membranes Fabricated Via Simple Dip‐Coating Of PDMS–SiO 2 Nanoparticles
Author(s) -
Han Sang Wook,
Kim KwangDae,
Seo Hyun Ook,
Kim Il Hee,
Jeon Chan Seok,
An Jung Eun,
Kim Ju Hwan,
Uhm Sunghyun,
Kim Young Dok
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.201700218
Subject(s) - materials science , polydimethylsiloxane , membrane , dip coating , polyester , chemical engineering , polypropylene , coating , nanoparticle , separation process , composite material , nanotechnology , genetics , engineering , biology
The surfaces of commercially available polyester (PET) and polypropylene (PP) are superhydrophobically modified via the deposition of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)‐coated SiO 2 nanoparticles (P‐SiO 2 ) and PDMS binder. The adhesion of P‐SiO 2 is stronger on PET than on PP due to a stronger chemical interaction between PET and PDMS, which is attributed to the higher surface energy of PET than PP. The waterproof ability and oil separation rate of the P‐SiO 2 ‐coated PET (dip‐PET) membranes are studied as a function of membrane thickness, and the influence of oil viscosity on the oil separation efficiency is investigated. Optimal membrane thickness should be selected in a given environment for the facile oil–water separation and the dip‐PET membrane is chemically stable and can be used repetitively for oil–water separation. Finally, an automated prototype instrument is introduced for the dip‐coating process. It is suggested that our dip‐PET is a promising solution for oil–water separation in real‐world oil‐spill applications.