Recent Advances in Superhydrophobic Papers for Oil/Water Separation: A Mini-Review

Abstract

The separation of oceanic spilled oils and industrial oily wastewaters becomes a great challenge, and it is highly desirable to develop efficient materials for oil/water separation. As abundant sustainable resources, superhydrophobic papers (SPs) have drawn much attention because of low-cost and efficient oil/water separation. Herein, this mini-review summarizes recent advances of SPs in terms of design, preparation, and properties. On the basis of the many excellent properties of SPs (i.e., self-cleaning, durability, chemical corrosion resistance, and reusability), the oil/water separation performances (i.e., separation efficiency, permeation flux, and recyclability) of SPs as well as the corresponding mechanisms are discussed. The efficient oil/water separation property and recyclability of SPs make them promising candidates in the field of oily wastewater treatment.