US 11,351,478 B2Granted

Oil skimmer with oleophilic coating

AssigneeUchicago Argonne, LLC

InventorsSeth B. Darling, Jeffrey W. Elam

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A method of fabricating an coating includes providing a coating comprising a base material. The base material is coated with an inorganic material using at least one of an atomic layer deposition (ALD), a molecular layer deposition (MLD), or sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) process. The SIS process includes at least one cycle of exposing the coating to a first metal precursor for a first predetermined time and a first partial pressure. The first metal precursor infiltrates at least a portion of the base material and binds with the base material. The coating is exposed to a second co-reactant precursor for a second predetermined time and a second partial pressure. The second co-reactant precursor reacts with the first metal precursor, thereby forming the inorganic material on the base material. The inorganic material infiltrating at least the portion of the base material. The inorganic material is functionalized with a material.

Claims7

Dependent claims

An oil skimmer comprising:

a polymer foam oil collector having an oleophilic coating, the oleophilic coating comprising a corrosion resistant inorganic material with a bound silane compound, the corrosion resistant material comprising SnO2 or Ta2O5;
an oil collector retriever, operably connected to the polymer foam oil collector for movement of the polymer foam oil collector;
an oil extractor positioned in operative contact with at least a portion of the foam oil collector, the oil extractor having a first set of rollers configured to compress the polymer foam oil collector a first distance and a second set of rollers configured to compress the polymer foam oil collector a second distance, the first distance being less than the second distance wherein engagement of the polymer foam oil collector with the first set of rollers extracts water and wherein the engagement of the polymer foam oil collector with the second set of rollers extracts oil;
the oil collector retriever configured to position the portion of the foam oil collector in communication with the oil extractor, wherein the oil extractor is configured to extract oil from the oleophilic coating into an associated oil storage;
and
a storage vessel for receiving the extracted oil.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/123,382Filed 6 Sep 2018
Published: US 2020/0078705 A112 Mar 2020
Granted: 7 Jun 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification19 codes

B01D 17/0202
Separation of non-miscible liquids: by ab- or adsorption
C02F 1/288
By sorption: using composite sorbents, e.g. coated, impregnated, multi-layered
C02F 1/40
Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage: devices for separating or removing fatty or oily substances or similar floating material
C23C 16/45525
Pulsed gas flow or change of composition over time: atomic layer deposition [ALD]