Underwater superoleophobic mesh with robust Anthurium andraeanum-like attapulgite coating layer for effective oil spill recovery

It is highly desired to develop an efficient and stable approach to recover water from oil-water mixtures. In this work, we reported the facile fabrication of superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic membranes by coating a layer of Anthurium andraeanum-like attapulgite (ARATP) on commercially available wire meshes via sintering. The ARATP was obtained through anchoring nano-Fe3O4 on attapulgite (ATP), and its micro nano structures can be adjusted by varying Fe3O4 content. Molecular dynamic simulations revealed the benefits of Fe3O4 in constructing superwetting coating layer with oil droplet repulsion larger than 227 KJ.mol(-1). The membrane exhibited underwater superoleophobicity (with underwater oil contact angle at 157) and was proven to treat various oil-water mixtures effectively (with a water permeation flux above 3249 L.m(-2).h(-1) and oil content in filtrate less than 2 mg.L-1). Furthermore, the chemical, mechanical stability and easy-cleaning property of the as-prepared membrane was demonstrated by different tests.