Superhydrophobic and nanostructured CuFeCo powder alloy for the capture of microplastics

Abstract

Abstract A superhydrophobic CuFeCo powder alloy, obtained by combining high-energy ball milling (HEBM) and liquid phase deposition (LPD), was used to remove high-density polyethylene fibres from water. After 48\xa0h of HEBM, CuFeCo solid solution powder with ferromagnetic properties was obtained. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy showed a crystallite size of 20\xa0nm, confirming its nanostructure. The metallic CuFeCo powder surface was functionalised with dodecanoic acid to confer superhydrophobicity (water contact angle = 162\xa0±\xa01°) and superoleophilicity (oil contact angle ~ 0°). Taking advantage of its superwettable properties, superhydrophobic CuFeCo particles were used to capture microplastics (270\xa0µm