Frequent oil spill accidents and leakage of organic solvent destroy aquatic ecosystems and threaten marine lives. Separation of the oily pollutant from water with material has long been treated as an effective and environmentally friendly solution. As a result, great efforts have been made to construct a material with high oil adsorption capacity, high oil-water separation efficiency, high oil-water selectivity, and superior recyclability. Surface chemical composition and surface topography are two key factors that determine the surface wettability and oil-water separation efficiency of a material. In this review, we summarize the popular oil-water separation materials during the past five years, including adsorption material, filtration material, and smart controllable special wettable separation material. Before that, a basic theory of surface specific wettability is introduced. The perspectives and challenges of each material are also highlighted.