Wrinkled Graphene Monoliths as Superabsorbing Building Blocks for Superhydrophobic and Superhydrophilic Surfaces |
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Authors: | Li‐Bing Lv Tian‐Lu Cui Bing Zhang Hong‐Hui Wang Prof Xin‐Hao Li Prof Jie‐Sheng Chen |
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Institution: | School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (P. R. China) |
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Abstract: | Superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic surfaces are of great interest because of a large range of applications, for example, as antifogging and self‐cleaning coatings, as antibiofouling paints for boats, in metal refining, and for water–oil separation. An aqueous ink based on three‐dimensional graphene monoliths (Gr) can be used for constructing both superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic surfaces on arbitrary substrates with different surficial structures from the meso‐ to the macroscale. The surface wettability of a Gr‐coated surface mainly depends on which additional layers (air for a superhydrophobic surface and water for a superhydrophilic surface) are adsorbed on the surface of the graphene sheets. Switching a Gr‐coated surface between being superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic can thus be easily achieved by drying and prewetting with ethanol. The Gr‐based superhydrophobic membranes or films should have great potential as efficient separators for fast and gravity‐driven oil–water separation. |
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Keywords: | graphene oil– water separation superabsorbers superhydrophilicity superhydrophobicity |
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