Constructing superhydrophobic sands layer with PTFE nanocoating for desert water storage and oil/water separation

Desert sand is one of the most abundant natural resources, its reutilization is of significance and very valuable for the sustainable development of the environment. In this work, to realize the efficient reutilization of desert sand, we developed a facile method to fabricate superhydrophobic sands based on the self-assembly of PTFE nanocoating. The as-prepared sands exhibit simultaneously superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties with a water contact angle is ∼150° and an oil contact angle is ∼0°. Besides, the applications of the as-prepared functional sands in water storage and oil/water separation were investigated in detail. The results show that the as-prepared sands exhibit good water storage capacity compared with the raw desert sand. Additionally, the as-prepared sand layer used as an adsorbent or filter can efficiently separate both light and heavy oil/water mixtures with a separation efficiency of > 96% and separation flux of > ∼24000 L/m 2 h. This work provides a good alternative for achieving the reutilization of desert sand and other natural resources.