ORIGINAL PAPER: FUNCTIONAL COATINGS, THIN FILMS AND MEMBRANES (INCLUDING DEPOSITION TECHNIQUES) Synthesis and characterization of superhydrophobic– superoleophilic surface Satish A. Mahadik 1 • Fernado D. Pedraza 1 • Brahmanand P. Relekar 2 • Vinayak. G. Parale 3 • Gaurav M. Lohar 2 • Sagar S. Thorat 4 Received: 16 November 2015 / Accepted: 29 January 2016 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016 Abstract The binary superhydrophobic–superhydrophilic surface has been successfully achieved by a combination of nanoscale texture roughness on micro-textured cotton thread network by layer-by-layer deposition method through the single-step sol–gel route. Furthermore, microstructures with improved wettability were produced, in which silica nanotextures were grown without modifying the chemical method to form superoleophilic and super- hydrophobic networks. A superoleophilic surface (oil contact angle 0°) and a superhydrophobic coated cotton fabric with surface free energy of c total = 13. 23 ± 0.37 mJ m -2 (water contact angle of 167 ± 1° and a small sliding angle of 4 ± 1°) were successfully obtained. The results were exemplified here by the creation of immiscible oils separation membranes, and the innumer- able applications of this technology also include self- cleaning fabrics, antistaining fabrics, water purification, and antiwetting fabrics for military applications. Graphical Abstract Keywords Layer-by-layer deposition method Á Superhydrophobic–superoleophilic surface Á Sol–gel processing Á Contact angle 1 Introduction Extraordinary superhydrophobic surface with a super- oleophilicity has contact angle of oils below 5°, and surface water repellency and absorbtion of oil have been actively investigated in both scientific and engineering fields in the past decade [1–5]. A variety of physical and chemical approaches have been developed for the designing of superhydrophobic–superoleophilic surfaces, including sol– gel process, chemical vapor deposition, electrodeposition, templating, self-assembly, spray coating, lithography, spin coating, and dip coating [6–19]. The multifunctional superhydrophobic surfaces can be potentially applied as self-cleaning, antiadhesion, paints, textiles to low-friction surfaces for fluid flow, corrosion-resistant surfaces, oil– water separating fabric, etc. [20–23]. The superhydropho- bicity is combined with superoleophilicity on the same & Satish A. Mahadik superhydrophobicmaterial2100@gmail.com 1 Laboratoire des Sciences de L’Inge ´nieur pour l’Environnement (LaSIE, FRE-CNRS3474), Universite ´ de La Rochelle, Avenue Michel Cre ´peau, 17042 La Rochelle Cedex 01, France 2 Department of Physics, Shivaji University, Kolhapur 416004, India 3 Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Sakharale, Uran Islampur, Maharashtra, India 4 Organic Chemistry Division (OCD), CSIR- National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India 123 J Sol-Gel Sci Technol DOI 10.1007/s10971-016-3974-7