Superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic film with different microstructures from waste glass for oil/water separation

Traditional methods for the separation of oil and water exhibit numerous flaws, including limited decontamination capacity, incomplete separation, complex operation, and environmental pollution. Although some film materials are widely used in the process of separating oil and water, they also present challenges such as susceptibility to contamination and high expenses. Here, three types of films are fabricated using waste glass as the raw material by incorporating diverse additives for achieving distinct microstructures. Different micromorphologies resulted in different film properties, with the superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic films prepared with KOH as an additive showing exceptional performance compared to the others, with separation efficiencies is 99.97%. Meanwhile, the preparation method of this film is characterized by low cost, simple operation and green environment. As a result, this has the potential for practical applications in the separation of oil and water.