Construction of ZnO@Co3O4-loaded nickel foam with abrasion resistance and chemical stability for oil/water separation

In this work, superhydrophobic and superoleophilic nickel foam loaded with ZnO@Co3O4 hierarchical structure was successfully fabricated via a simplified one-pot hydrothermal method, followed by a brief calcination process and, finally, superhydrophobically modification with hexadecyltrimethoxysilan (HDTMS). The as-prepared nickel foam showed excellent abrasion resistance, chemical stability and high oil-water separation efficiency. The chemical composition and morphologies were characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The sample we have manufactured proves to be a potential material for the separation of oil-water mixtures.