Cotton fabrics modified for use in oil/water separation : a perspective review

This article provides a perspective review on the use of modified cotton fabrics for oil–water separation. The principles of surface hydrophobicity of cotton fabrics are first described, from which the basis for producing superhydrophobic surfaces is presented. Then the preparation methods to convert hydrophilic cotton fabrics to hydrophobic fabrics are reviewed and discussed. Based on literature results the way to design novel preparation methods, the need to summarize testing protocols, and the comprehensive technoeconomic and sustainability analyses, are proposed. A demonstrative cotton fabrics test is used to reveal the significant role of conjugated fluid flows and surface interactions under different application scenarios for determining the separation efficiency of the oil–water mix.