Argonne Scientists Create New Oil-Resistant Filter Technology

摘要

Crude oil is sticky stuff and often clogs filters, membranes and other equipment used in the oil and gas industry. To address this problem, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have developed a novel approach, which will prolong the lifetime of key industrial equipment. The new invention consists of a type of coating that produces thin films of water-loving, oil-repelling molecules on the surface of filter membranes. These metal oxide molecules grab onto any loose water atoms while resisting oil. To scientists, these twin properties are known as hydrophilicity and oleophobicity.