Superhydrophobic and Thermally Conductive Membranes For Oil/Water Separation

Project ID: TECH2024-30

Background

Membranes for ultrafast oil/water separations are useful and necessary in a lot of different fields such as the oil/water separation market, the superhydrophobic membranes/coatings market (SAM), the membrane separation market (TAM), separation technologies, cleaning industries, oil spill remediation, corrosion control, and the hydrophobic membrane market which includes oil and gas industries (oil/water separations), electronics, packaging (weather proofing), clothing (safety gear, personal protection equipment), and waste water treatment.

There is a need for ecofriendly, economical, and easily fabricated membranes for ultrafast oil/water separations. Currently, synthetic polymer-based membranes (PVDF, PTFE), foams, and sponges with superhydrophobic coatings are being used as membranes for oil/water separations. However, some issues with these include complex and multistep fabrication, slow separation rates, low absorption capacities, they are non-ecofriendly, and they are expensive.

Thus, there is still a need in the art for new and improved membranes for separating oil and water.

Invention Description

Researchers at the University of Toledo have developed superhydrophobic membranes with ultrafast oil/water separation capacity and high absorption capacity. Membranes are fabricated using facile in-situ metal nanoparticle growth followed by superhydrophobic modification.

Applications

• Alternative approach for Oil & Water Separation

Advantages

• The fabricated membranes possess extremely fast low surface tension liquid wicking capabilities.
• The entire fabrication process and the fabricated membranes are environmentally friendly.
• The fabricated membranes are capable of 99.5% low surface tension liquid/water separation.
• The metal coatings of oilters make them thermally conductive.

IP Status: Patent Pending with UPSTO