Superhydrophobic copper mesh films with rapid oil/water separation properties by electrochemical deposition inspired from butterfly wing

Inspired from butterfly wing, superhydrophobic copper mesh films were fabricated via a facile and environmental friendly method by electroplating Cu nanoparticles on the as-cleaned copper mesh films and followed by a thiol grafting. As-fabricated hierarchical structured copper mesh film showed efficient and rapid oil/water separation ability and could be repeatedly used for numerous times. The key parameters of the fabrication of suitable surface morphologies, including the electroplating time, current, electrolyte temperature, and electrolyte concentration, were particularly studied. The stability of as-prepared copper mesh film was also evaluated by compression, thermal, and ultrasonic tests.