Spray deposition process to fabricate Cu^sub 2^O superhydrophobic surfaces on brass mesh for efficient oil-water separation

Cu2O coated meshes with "coral reef-like" micro/nanostructures have been successfully fabricated via a facile spray-and-dry method, without using low surface energy materials. The obtained Cu2O coated superhydrophobic surface, which is similar to the "lotus leaf" structure, had a contact angle of 159.6° and a sliding angle of 1°. Based on the design of a miniature apparatus, the superhydrophobic mesh can separate different kinds of oils regardless of the light oil or heavy oil in the mixture with excellent separation efficiency. It is expected that this convenient technique may open a novel approach in future development of superhydrophobic coating technology.