Synthesis of reusable and anti-fouling Co-Al-Ce LDHs coated stainless steel mesh for ultrafast oil/water separation and photocatalytic degradation

Industrial sewage containing oil and dye has already aroused the concerns of cosmopolites. Nowadays, membrane technology is regarded as the spotlight and highly-efficient treatment for various wastewater from human activities. Massive efforts have been put into newly synthesis of low-cost, eco-friendly, low energy consumption, reusable and robust Co-Al-Ce LDHs coated stainless steel mesh (SSM) for wastewater treatment. The CoAlCe-LDHs SSM was fabricated by facile hydrothermal method successfully. While the pristine SSM didn`t exhibit selective wettability with water contact angle (WCA) of 114.5°, the novel CoAlCe-LDHs SSM possessed superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic property with underwater oil contact angle (UOCA) of 158.5°. The CoAlCe-LDHs SSM was compatibly applied to the separation of oil/water mixtures with highly separation efficiency above 99.5% and ultrafast water flux of 52.2 L·m ⁻²·s ⁻¹ under gravity. The easily-fabricated CoAlCe-LDHs SSM was qualified with recyclable, stable and anti-fouling properties, which stayed effective for the separation of oil/water mixtures under at least 30 times recycle and harsh conditions. Moreover, the bifunctional CoAlCe-LDHs SSM also showed excellent photocatalytic activity of dye degradation (with 94.2% degradation of methyl orange solution within 160 min), which can be beneficial to sewage treatment.