Durable superhydrophobic Co-Ni LDHs/PDMS fabrics for organic solvent/water separation and buoyancy boost

It is essential to synthesize a versatile organic solvent/water separation material with excellent stability and durability. Superwetting materials, known for their multiple practical functionalities in everyday life and industrial production, have been receiving special concern for years. In this paper, the multifunctional superhydrophobic surface has been successfully prepared by coating polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) onto three-dimensional nest-like Co-Ni layered double hydroxides (LDHs) using fabrics as a substrate (N Co-Ni LDHs/PDMS). The hierarchical nest-like structure of Co-Ni LDHs promotes the formation of abundant air cushions and enhances self-cleaning ability under liquid, which is beneficial to the efficient separation of organic solvent/water mixture. The results fabrics (superhydrophilic N Co-Ni LDHs and superhydrophobic N Co-Ni LDHs/PDMS) exhibit a high separation efficiency of 99.1 % and a flux of 11400 L m −2 h −1 for n-hexane, kerosene, cyclohexane, tetrachloroethylene and tetrachloromethane. The separation efficiency is above 99.0 % and flux is above 10200 L m −2 h −1 after 10 cycles of separation. The superhydrophobic N Co-Ni LDHs/PDMS can load 21 times its own weight and sail on water at a velocity of 60 cm s −1 . Additionally, the superhydrophobic fabrics display excellent chemical stability and mechanical durability. The as-fabricated fabrics are suitable for application in organic solvent/water separation.