Dual-bionic superwetting gears with liquid directional steering for oil-water separation
Abstract Developing an effective and sustainable method for separating and purifying oily wastewater is a significant challenge. Conventional separation membrane and sponge systems are limited in their long-term usage due to weak antifouling abilities and poor processing capacity for systems with mu...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-07-01
|
| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39851-1 |
| _version_ | 1797778853010079744 |
|---|---|
| author | Zhuoxing Liu Zidong Zhan Tao Shen Ning Li Chengqi Zhang Cunlong Yu Chuxin Li Yifan Si Lei Jiang Zhichao Dong |
| author_facet | Zhuoxing Liu Zidong Zhan Tao Shen Ning Li Chengqi Zhang Cunlong Yu Chuxin Li Yifan Si Lei Jiang Zhichao Dong |
| author_sort | Zhuoxing Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Developing an effective and sustainable method for separating and purifying oily wastewater is a significant challenge. Conventional separation membrane and sponge systems are limited in their long-term usage due to weak antifouling abilities and poor processing capacity for systems with multiple oils. In this study, we present a dual-bionic superwetting gears overflow system with liquid steering abilities, which enables the separation of oil-in-water emulsions into pure phases. This is achieved through the synergistic effect of surface superwettability and complementary topological structures. By applying the surface energy matching principle, water and oil in the mixture rapidly and continuously spread on preferential gear surfaces, forming distinct liquid films that repel each other. The topological structures of the gears facilitate the overflow and rapid transfer of the liquid films, resulting in a high separation flux with the assistance of rotational motion. Importantly, this separation model mitigates the decrease in separation flux caused by fouling and maintains a consistently high separation efficiency for multiple oils with varying densities and surface tensions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T23:22:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ac63492b13624fa09fc881b44d4715a2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T23:22:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-ac63492b13624fa09fc881b44d4715a22023-07-16T11:20:52ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232023-07-0114111110.1038/s41467-023-39851-1Dual-bionic superwetting gears with liquid directional steering for oil-water separationZhuoxing Liu0Zidong Zhan1Tao Shen2Ning Li3Chengqi Zhang4Cunlong Yu5Chuxin Li6Yifan Si7Lei Jiang8Zhichao Dong9CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of SciencesCAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of SciencesKey Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Beihang UniversityCAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of SciencesCAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of SciencesCAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of SciencesSuzhou Institute for Advanced Research, University of Science and Technology of ChinaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong KongCAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of SciencesCAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of SciencesAbstract Developing an effective and sustainable method for separating and purifying oily wastewater is a significant challenge. Conventional separation membrane and sponge systems are limited in their long-term usage due to weak antifouling abilities and poor processing capacity for systems with multiple oils. In this study, we present a dual-bionic superwetting gears overflow system with liquid steering abilities, which enables the separation of oil-in-water emulsions into pure phases. This is achieved through the synergistic effect of surface superwettability and complementary topological structures. By applying the surface energy matching principle, water and oil in the mixture rapidly and continuously spread on preferential gear surfaces, forming distinct liquid films that repel each other. The topological structures of the gears facilitate the overflow and rapid transfer of the liquid films, resulting in a high separation flux with the assistance of rotational motion. Importantly, this separation model mitigates the decrease in separation flux caused by fouling and maintains a consistently high separation efficiency for multiple oils with varying densities and surface tensions.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39851-1 |
| spellingShingle | Zhuoxing Liu Zidong Zhan Tao Shen Ning Li Chengqi Zhang Cunlong Yu Chuxin Li Yifan Si Lei Jiang Zhichao Dong Dual-bionic superwetting gears with liquid directional steering for oil-water separation Nature Communications |
| title | Dual-bionic superwetting gears with liquid directional steering for oil-water separation |
| title_full | Dual-bionic superwetting gears with liquid directional steering for oil-water separation |
| title_fullStr | Dual-bionic superwetting gears with liquid directional steering for oil-water separation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dual-bionic superwetting gears with liquid directional steering for oil-water separation |
| title_short | Dual-bionic superwetting gears with liquid directional steering for oil-water separation |
| title_sort | dual bionic superwetting gears with liquid directional steering for oil water separation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39851-1 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zhuoxingliu dualbionicsuperwettinggearswithliquiddirectionalsteeringforoilwaterseparation AT zidongzhan dualbionicsuperwettinggearswithliquiddirectionalsteeringforoilwaterseparation AT taoshen dualbionicsuperwettinggearswithliquiddirectionalsteeringforoilwaterseparation AT ningli dualbionicsuperwettinggearswithliquiddirectionalsteeringforoilwaterseparation AT chengqizhang dualbionicsuperwettinggearswithliquiddirectionalsteeringforoilwaterseparation AT cunlongyu dualbionicsuperwettinggearswithliquiddirectionalsteeringforoilwaterseparation AT chuxinli dualbionicsuperwettinggearswithliquiddirectionalsteeringforoilwaterseparation AT yifansi dualbionicsuperwettinggearswithliquiddirectionalsteeringforoilwaterseparation AT leijiang dualbionicsuperwettinggearswithliquiddirectionalsteeringforoilwaterseparation AT zhichaodong dualbionicsuperwettinggearswithliquiddirectionalsteeringforoilwaterseparation |