Mesoporous silica/epoxy coated cotton fabric for durable oil-water separation

A simple, durable, superior UV-shielded, self-cleanable, hydrophobic/superoleophile cotton fabric was developed using SBA-15 mesoporous silica and epoxy coating (SE). The cotton fabric surfaces after coating with SE showed the highest water contact angle value of 146 degrees and lowest surface free energy of 13.9 mN/m. As a filtration membrane, the developed SE/cotton delivered 95.8% oil-water separation efficiency with a notable flux value of 6800 L/m(2)h against diesel-water mixture. The presence of an epoxy and silica hybrid layer on the surfaces of cotton fabric induced self-cleaning behavior and notable durability against UV light (UPF-29), pH resistance, washing fastness, and mechanical abrasion. Hence, the present coating developed using mesoporous silica and epoxy can be applied to different types of textile substrates to construct durable low-cost membranes.