Preparation and Application of Fluorine-free Perlite-based Superhydrophobic Liquid Marbles in Detection of Oily Wastewater

PAN Weihao; MA Jinghao; ZHAO Chundong; LI Jie; ZHONG Zihao; CHEN Guanghao; LIU Ziai; YU Zhiyi; OU Jiayu

doi:10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.21.009

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Surface Technology ›› 2025, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (21) : 124-132. DOI: 10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.21.009

Special Topic—Design and Applications of Hierarchical Surface Structure Exhibiting Superwettability

Preparation and Application of Fluorine-free Perlite-based Superhydrophobic Liquid Marbles in Detection of Oily Wastewater

PAN Weihao¹, MA Jinghao¹, ZHAO Chundong¹, LI Jie¹, ZHONG Zihao¹, CHEN Guanghao², LIU Ziai³, YU Zhiyi¹, OU Jiayu^1,*

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Abstract

The work aims to address the urgent need for efficient detection of oily wastewater by developing a kind of environmentally friendly superhydrophobic/superoleophilic perlite powder through a fluorine-free chemical modification process. The preparation method involved sequential grinding of natural perlite, surface modification with stearic acid, controlled drying, and final micronization to obtain functionalized powder. The rough structures and the low surface energy functional groups endowed the perlite powder with superhydrophobicity. Comprehensive characterization confirmed the successful acquisition of required wettability properties, with the modified perlite powder exhibiting exceptional water repellency (contact angle exceeding 150°) and oil affinity without incorporating fluorinated compounds. In addition, based on the developed superhydrophobic perlite powder, stable superhydrophobic liquid marbles were prepared with various aqueous media such as water, cola, coffee, and milk. The comprehensive performance of superhydrophobic liquid marbles was systematically evaluated, and the results showed that the prepared superhydrophobic liquid marbles had good stability. The superhydrophobic liquid marbles maintained structural integrity during water injection and water suction experiments. Superhydrophobic liquid marbles were also cut at random without damage. After the PET sheet was placed on the liquid marbles and then removed, the superhydrophobic liquid marbles could return to their original shape, indicating that they had good load-bearing capacity. Furthermore, superhydrophobic liquid marbles remained unbroken after falling from a certain height. In addition, the evaporation time of the superhydrophobic liquid marbles was significantly longer than that of water droplets at different temperatures, which indicated that the liquid marbles had a longer service life when used. Under the effect of gravity, the superhydrophobic liquid marbles maintained a stable state, and rolled along the straight-line track and S-shaped track directionally, and there was no orbital deviation or rupture in the whole process. The superhydrophobic liquid marbles broke up rapidly within tens of milliseconds upon contact with oily wastewater such as water/diesel oil, water/peanut oil, and water/hexane, indicating that the prepared superhydrophobic liquid marbles exhibited good sensitivity to water/oil mixtures. This observable rupture phenomenon provided the fundamental detection mechanism. The mechanism by which superhydrophobic liquid marbles were highly sensitive to water/oil mixtures was revealed. When a superhydrophobic liquid marble was placed on the surface of the water/oil mixture, the superhydrophobic perlite powder was wetted immediately upon contact with the oil, and the superhydrophobicity was lost, leading to the rapid rupture of the superhydrophobic liquid marble. Further, an oily wastewater detector was prepared based on the mechanism that superhydrophobic liquid marbles had high sensitivity to oily wastewater. When the test liquid was relatively clean water, the water was infiltrated along the bottom non-woven fabric to the liquid marbles, and the liquid marbles did not rupture. When the water/diesel mixture was tested, the liquid marbles ruptured immediately after coming into contact with the test liquid, and the minimum oil film thickness measured by this method was about 0.17 μm. Thus, the oily wastewater detector can detect the presence of oily contaminants in water. In summary, the developed oily wastewater detector demonstrates particular promise for on-site pollution screening in marine ecosystems and industrial settings, where its reagent-free operation reduces ecological impact while providing timely contamination alerts.

Key words

marine antifouling / superhydrophobic surfaces / micro- and nano- structures / low surface energy / oily wastewater

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PAN Weihao, MA Jinghao, ZHAO Chundong, LI Jie, ZHONG Zihao, CHEN Guanghao, LIU Ziai, YU Zhiyi, OU Jiayu. Preparation and Application of Fluorine-free Perlite-based Superhydrophobic Liquid Marbles in Detection of Oily Wastewater[J]. Surface Technology. 2025, 54(21): 124-132 https://doi.org/10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.21.009

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