Selective oil/water filter paper via a scalable one-pot hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanowires

Abstract

Uniform ZnO nanowires (NWs) were grown on cellulose filter paper via a modified one-step hydrothermal method. The ZnO coated filter paper exhibited superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity due to the surface roughness of the coated ZnO NWs. The coated cellulose filters demonstrated exceptional results at oil/water separation with high separation efficiency and experimentally proven recyclability for several oil/water mixtures. The outstanding separation performance and scalable growth method highlight potential for practical applications, such as wastewater treatment and polluted water purification.