Special wettability materials are a new type of material for oily wastewater treatment.Among the various wetting materials,polymer materials have deficiencies such as surfactant contamination and degradation,while the metal mesh-based materials have the advantages of high mechanical strength,high separation efficiency and self-cleaning properties.They are widely used in the oil-water separation treatment of oily wastewater.Firstly,the main sources of oily wastewater and the problems of traditional oil-water separation technology are described.Secondly,the basic principles of surface wettability,including concepts such as contact angle in air(Young's model,Wenzel model and Cassie-Baxter model),and roll angle,are introduced.Then,the preparation methods and characteristics of superhydrophobic/oleophilic and Super hydrophilic/underwater super oleophobic materials materials are introduced,respectively.Moreover,the influence of material surface microstructure and surface energy on the oil-water separation effect are discussed in detail.Finally,the future development of metal mesh based oil-water separation materials is discussed based on the existing problems and actual needs in industrial scenarios.