Thiol-ene Click Chemistry Construct Superhydrophobic Cotton Fabric for High-efficiency Water-in-oil Emulsion Separation

Water pollution severely effects human health and ecosystems. This paper presents a simple method of superhydrophobic cotton fabric fabrication for oil/water separation, We implemented thiol-ene reaction using 3-(Trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (TMSPMA) and n -dodecyl mercaptan (NDM). to synthesize low surface energy hydrophobic modifier. Superhydrophobic cotton fabrics demonstrated excellent superhydrophobicity, which makes them outstanding materials for continuous and simultaneous removal of insoluble and emulsified oils. Chemical composition, morphology, and hydrophobicity of these cotton fabrics were confirmed by FTIR spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and water contact angle measurements, respectively. Fabrics samples maintained their superhydrophobic properties even after 20 cycles, separation efficiency was still above 98.5 %. Our superhydrophobic cotton fabric demonstrated a remarkable separation of emulsified oil. We believe that our quick and environmentally friendly method can be used in variety of applications involving water-in-oil emulsion separation and oil purification.