Willow-Leaf copper MOF networks for efficient oil-water separation and anti-microbial adhesion

With the increasing frequency of oily industrial wastewater discharges and offshore oil spills worldwide, developing multifunctional materials that combine efficient oil–water separation with antimicrobial activity has become a key challenge for addressing water pollution and microbiological safety. Although conventional oil-water separation materials can achieve high separation efficiency, they typically suffer from severe chemical corrosion, poor cycling stability, and microbial adhesion, which limit their applicability in complex contaminated environments. In this study, willow-leaf-like Cu-BDC was first grown in situ on porous copper foam to impart intrinsic antibacterial functionality to the substrate. Subsequently, a hydrophobic-oleophilic surface was engineered using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), silica (SiO 2 ), and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), achieving synergistic optimization of oil-water separation and antimicrobial performance. The results demonstrate that the superhydrophobic antibacterial foam (PDMS@CF-BDC) exhibits excellent oil–water separation performance, achieving separation efficiencies above 99% for various oil–water mixtures, including toluene and chloroform, and maintaining good stability over repeated separation cycles. Moreover, PDMS@CF-BDC shows satisfactory resistance to abrasion and corrosion. Antibacterial tests indicate that Cu 2+ released from PDMS@CF-BDC effectively suppresses the growth and proliferation of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, conferring pronounced antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, by integrating interfacial engineering with a functional coupling strategy, the antibacterial and superhydrophobic mechanisms were synergistically combined, enabling PDMS@CF-BDC to effectively inhibit the adhesion of both bacteria and Chlorella. Notably, during several days of algal adhesion tests, PDMS@CF-BDC still maintained efficient oil-water separation performance, providing a new route for the development of efficient, durable and multifunctional separation materials.