Rapid synthesis of polycrystalline M-gallate (M = Ni, Co) layers on stainless steel mesh via one step electrodeposition for highly efficient oil/water separation

M-gallate (M = Ni, Co) coated stainless steel meshes (SSMs) were fabricated through a cost-effective and environmentally friendly synthesis approach of electrodeposition for a sustainable solution of oil/water separation. The M-gallate/500-mesh, synthesized in just 120 s, exhibit super hydrophilic properties owing to the rich hydroxyl groups (–OH) inherent in their metal–organic framework (MOF) structure which significantly enhance their performance in oil/water separation. The nano-sized randomly oriented crystals growth of Co-gallate/500-mesh showed the excellent separation performance with a water flux of 93.3 ± 5.2 × 10 3 Lm −2 h −1 and separation efficiency of 99.8 ± 0.1 % while Ni-gallate/500-mesh exhibit a water flux of 71.5 ± 5.9 × 10 3 Lm −2 h −1 and separation efficiency of 99.6 ± 0.2 % for the separation of light oil toluene/water mixture. To assess practical applicability, the M-gallate/500-mesh were tested for seawater/oil mixtures. Notably, the separation efficiency remained above 99 % for both Ni-gallate/500-mesh and Co-gallate/500-mesh while the seawater flux slightly increased for Ni-gallate/500-mesh. Moreover, M-gallate/500-mesh demonstrated good separation performance and chemical stability under alkaline conditions coupled with rapid and facile synthesis, indicating their potential for practical oil/water separation.