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Durable Superhydrophobic Coating for Efficient Microplastic Removal
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Researchers developed a durable superhydrophobic (water-repelling) coating on aluminum that can efficiently capture and remove microplastic particles from water. The coating attracted microplastics at high removal rates and remained effective over multiple use cycles. This type of material could be incorporated into water treatment systems or filtration devices to reduce microplastic contamination in drinking water and wastewater.
The pollution caused by microplastics around the world is an increasingly significant issue that has to be tackled with different methods and technologies. Here, we report a straightforward and rapid process combining electrodeposition and electrophoresis to produce a durable superhydrophobic coating on an aluminum substrate (UNS A91070) that has a static contact angle (153°), sliding angle (1°), and contact angle hysteresis (1°). Field emission scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy showed the presence of a hierarchical structure with nanolayers that were 70 nm thick. The chemical composition was also analyzed using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which revealed that the hierarchical structure was composed of zinc laurate (Zn(C11H20COO)2) that decreased the surface free energy of the system. Moreover, the coating showed high durability against abrasion caused by the P1200 SiC paper due to the presence of TiO2 particles in the upper layers as well as the homogeneous chemical composition of the hierarchical structure. Finally, taking advantage of the superoleophilic properties of superhydrophobic surfaces, the ability of the coating to remove high-density polyethylene microplastics from water was studied.
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