Abstract:
A stainless-steel mesh (SSM) is laser-etched with a 1064 nm near-infrared laser, and the best surface roughness is obtained by adjusting the laser parameters. Compared to traditional chemical etching that requires consumption of chemical reagents and results in environmental pollution problems, our laser etching process is simple, and has advantages in terms of process controllability, being fast and efficient, safety and eco-friendliness. The laser-etched SSM was used as the matrix, to which chitosan (CS) used as the hydrophilic component, monomeric acrylamide (AM), and different contents of silica (SiO
2) were dispersed. A photo initiator,
N,
N’-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA), was used for crosslinking, producing a superoleophobic oil-water separation membrane (PAM/CS/SiO
2@SSM) by ultraviolet light-initiated radical polymerization. Laser scanning confocal microscopy (CLSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and other techniques were used for the characterization of PAM/CS/SiO
2@SSM separation mesh, and the effects of different CS and SiO
2 contents on the surface roughness of composite mesh were studied. The gravity-driven method was used to separate the oil-water mixture, and the oil-water separation efficiency of the composite mesh was determined. The experimental results show that the laser etch mesh is simple to prepare with a fast etching rate and controllable parameters. The underwater oil contact angle of the prepared PAM/CS/SiO
2@SSM separation mesh is 155°, indicating an excellent hydrophilicity and oleophobicity. The separation efficiency of the composite mesh for three different oil-water mixtures including liquid paraffin,
n-hexane, and petroleum ether is 99.1%, 98.8% and 98.4%, respectively, indicating a high oil-water separation efficiency.