Preparation and Seeding of Stainless Steel Mesh to Fabricate Copper Ferrite Membrane for Water/Normal-Hexane Separation

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Nanomaterials and Surface Technology Research Laboratory, School of Chemical, Petroleum and Gas Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

This study examines and compares two distinct approaches for the preparation and seeding of stainless steel mesh, which are considered key stages in achieving a copper ferrite-coated mesh membrane for the separation of water and n-hexane. Initially, using a one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) experimental design, the optimal conditions for two seeding methods—immersion and thermal oxidation—were determined. The immersion method was applied after surface preparation through washing and etching, while the thermal oxidation method was employed following surface polishing. To establish the optimal conditions for copper ferrite coating on the stainless steel mesh, the washing, etching/immersion method, and OFAT experimental design were utilized. The optimal sample was obtained by immersing the pre-seeded stainless steel mesh in a solution containing copper nitrate and iron nitrate at a molar ratio of 0.5, with ammonia (pH = 10), followed by hydrothermal treatment at 130°C for 12 hours and subsequent calcination at 800°C for 6 hours. Finally, by applying the optimized copper ferrite coating conditions, two experiments were conducted based on the optimal values for each seeding method. The results demonstrated that the mesh membrane obtained with the copper ferrite coating, which was prepared and seeded using the washing, etching/immersion method, exhibited the most uniform coating formation and the highest separation efficiency. The optimized seeding conditions included a copper oxide seed layer, an immersion duration time of 60 minutes, and a single-step seed layer. The fabricated mesh exhibited hydrophilic properties, with a separation efficiency exceeding 99.9%, a flux of 31,898 L/m²·h, and an oil droplet underwater contact angle of 142°. These results, compared to previous studies, demonstrate a significant improvement in coating uniformity, flux, and separation efficiency.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Petroleum Research
Volume 35, 1404-5 - Serial Number 144
January and February 2025
Pages 69-78

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