Investigation of grafting silane coupling agents on superhydrophobicity of carbonyl iron/SiO2 particles for efficient oil/water mixture and emulsion separation
Yahya Rabbani, Hadi Shayesteh, Nima Haghshenas, Mobin Safarzadeh Khosrowshahi
Abstract
Abstract The present study demonstrated the wettability properties of grafting silane coupling agents on carbonyl iron (CI)/SiO 2 particles for efficient oil/water mixture and emulsion separation. CI particles were first reacted with Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) to create a magnetic component. Then, CI/SiO 2 particles were altered by 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane (FAS) and Hexamethyldisilazane (HDMS) to create magnetic superhydrophobic/superoleophilic, recyclable, and reusable sorbent powders. The water contact angle (WCA) values of the as-prepared particles, CI, CI/SiO 2 , CI/SiO 2 @FAS, and CI/SiO 2 @HMDS, were 5.4° ± 1.3°, 6.4° ± 1.4°, 151.9° ± 2.1°, and 170.1° ± 1.1°, respectively. In addition, the oil contact angles (OCAs) of a variety of oils were found to be equivalent to 0°. Hence, superhydrophobic/superoleophilic particles for kind of different oils were shown sorption capacities of 1.7–3.1 g/g and 2.5–4.3 g/g for CI/SiO 2 @FAS, and CI/SiO 2 @HMDS, respectively. Besides, for 1%w/w hexane/water emulsion separation efficiency higher than 99%, the lowest mass was obtained at 50 and 200 mg for CI/SiO 2 @HDMS and CI/SiO 2 @HDMS, respectively, suggesting a new effective material for separating tiny oil droplets. Also, the reusability and chemical durability of the superhydrophobic samples made them a prime candidate for use in different harsh conditions.