Effect of mesoporous silica/epoxy coating on different woven fabrics for oil–water separation

Woven fabrics with three different weave constructions, namely Plain (PW), Drill (DW), and Herringbone (HW), have been subjected to surface modification using a hybrid coating (SE). The geometric contribution of the cotton fabrics towards tailoring the surface properties is also explored. Among the three fabrics, the drill weave fabric with high density and low pore size compared to other fabrics has favoured more superior surface behaviour. It was observed that only low-concentration SE-coated drill weave (LDW) fabric had offered a superior superhydrophobic surface showing water contact angle (WCA) θ = 154° and sliding angle of 7°. Further, the surface-free energy (SFE) of LDW value was noticed to be as low as 14.7 mN/m using water and as high as 27.7 mN/m using diesel as probe liquid. In addition, LDW offers higher oil-water separation efficiency (98.8%) with a notable flux value of 11800 L/m²h. LDW delivered a durable nature with a UPF rating of 50+(850) and a hydrophobic nature in a wide pH range. Hence, it is concluded that the drill weave fabric can be suitable for developing further membranes based on woven oil-water separation.