Facile Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Cellulose/Fe2O3-STA Film with Nanoflower Morphologies for Heavy Oil Removal

Heavy oils induced water pollutions are difficult to be eliminated due to the oils located under water. Herein, we fabricated superhydrophobic cellulose film with nanoflower structures via a Facile method to eliminate heavy oil from water. Cellulose films were in-situ modified with Fe2O3 and stearic acid (STA) for superhydrophobic modification. The corresponding superhydrophobic cellulose/Fe2O3-STA film has water contact angle of 155.5 degrees and sliding angle of 5.5 degrees, and can maintains its superhydrophobicity when it is immersed in water. The film exists excellent self-cleaning property, and the dusts on the film could be easily swept away by running water drops. The film was further applied to separate heavy oil/water mixture with separation efficiency of 99.37 %, and the separation efficiency was maintained after 20 separation cycles as well. The film can also be utilized to absorb small heavy oil drops under water. Thus, we not only develop a simple way to produce superhydrophobic cellulose based films, but also provide superhydrophobic materials to solve water pollution caused by heavy oil.