LAUSR

A zwitterionic polymeric hair coated stainless steel mesh membrane is fabricated, which demonstrates efficient separation of oil/water mixtures and the emulsions. The hairy coating of poly(divinylbenzene-co-vinylbenzene chloride) (P(DVB-co-VBC)) is generated by precipitation cationic polymerization, and subsequent grafting a zwitterionic polymer layer by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA). Microstructure of the hairy coating is tunable from array of individual nanofibers to porous network by interweaving of the hairs. The long-range attraction of zwitterionic polymer with water renders the coated mesh with excellent superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic performance. The coated mesh is highly antifouling to avoid the pre-hydration in conventional methods. Moreover, the microstructure is demonstrated to be responsible for the high separation efficiency of oil/water emulsion. Therefore, separation of oil/water mixtures and emulsions becomes easier by the coated mesh, which is promising in industrial oil field sewage treatment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.