Porous materials with opposing superwettability toward
oil and
water have aroused widespread interest for their selective-wetting
advantage in oil–water separation. The separation process,
however, requires constant energy input to maintain the driving force.
Further reducing the external energy consumption or accelerating the
liquid transport during separation is still a challenge. The Janus
membrane is an emerging porous material with opposing wettability
toward a specific liquid on each side. The asymmetric wettability
distribution leads to a surface energy gradient-driven liquid-transport
behavior through the thickness, which significantly facilitates liquid
transportation. It is conceived that porous materials possessing both
Janus features and selective superwettability would reduce energy
consumption and strengthen the efficiency in oil–water separation.
Herein, a novel durable superoleophobic (SOHB) Janus fabric which
possesses oil-repellent and surface energy gradient-driven water-transport
properties was developed through one-side superoleophobic/superhydrophilic
modification of the superamphiphobic fabric. The SOHB Janus fabric
exhibits high mechanical durability and significant superior capacity
than the homogeneous superoleophobic/superhydrophilic fabric in separating
various oil–water mixtures. Moreover, the SOHB Janus fabric
repels oil contaminants and pumps perspiration from the human skin,
exhibiting prospects in physical moisture regulation and comfort improvement.
Our novel Janus fabric, along with the fabrication principle, provides
a feasible solution for energetic-efficient oil–water remediations
and would have implications for the fabrication of advanced separation
membranes and intelligent functional clothing.