Durable superhydrophobic and superoleophilic filter paper for oil–water separation prepared by a colloidal deposition method

•A method for fabricating durable superhydrophobic filter paper was developed.•Oil–water separation efficiency exceeds 99% using the as-prepared filter paper.•The as-prepared filter paper has good recyclability and durability.•The method is easy, low cost and can be industrialized. A method for manufacturing durable superhydrophobic and superoleophilic filter paper for oil–water separation was developed via colloidal deposition. A porous film composed of PTFE nanoparticles was formed on filter paper, which was superhydrophobic with a water contact angle of 155.5° and superoleophilic with an oil contact angle of 0°. The obtained filter paper could separate a series of oil–water mixtures effectively with high separation efficiencies over 99%. Besides, the as-prepared filter paper kept stable superhydrophobicity and high separation efficiency even after 30 cycle times and could also work well under harsh environmental conditions like strong acidic or alkaline solutions, high temperature and ultraviolet irradiation. Compared with other approaches for fabricating oil–water materials, this approach is able to fabricate full-scale durable and practical oil–water materials easily and economically. The as-prepared filter paper is a promising candidate for oil–water separation.