Fabrication of superwetting, anti-icing nickel-cobalt carbonate hydroxide coated-aluminosilicate fiber paper for oil-water separation

Fabricating low-cost and high-efficiency oil-water separation superwetting materials for the demand of oil spilling treatment remains a great challenge. Herein, a superwetting aluminosilicate fiber paper decorated by flower-like nickel-cobalt carbonate hydroxide (NiCo-CH) nanostructures was prepared via the hydrothermal method and chemical modification with stearic acid (SA) or 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-Perfluoroalkyltriethoxysilane (FAS-17). The superhydrophilic multi-layers nanoflowers combing with nanoflakes were uniformly distributed on the surface of aluminosilicate fiber. The superhydrophilic aluminosilicate fiber was then modified by the SA to obtain the superhydrophobic aluminosilicate fiber (SA-NiCo-CH@Al 2 SiO 5 FP). The SA-NiCo-CH@Al 2 SiO 5 FP revealed high separation efficiency (> 95.4%) for both light oils and heavy oils, and high oil flux (417 L m −2 h −1 –71,656 L m −2 h −1 ). Furthermore, the SA-NiCo-CH@Al 2 SiO 5 FP can also remain superhydrophobicity under various harsh conditions, such as dust, sand impact, acid or alkali, and low-temperature environments. This study revealed an inexpensive and simple-fabricated multifunctional superwetting material, which provides promising avenue for future applications in oil-water separation.