3D wet-electrospun “branch leaf” graphene oxide polycaprolactone fibers structure for enhancing oil-water separation treatment performance in a multi-scale design

Abstract

Super-wetting materials have garnered significant attention for the potential to treat oily wastewater due to their selective adsorption and recyclability. In this work, we developed a hierarchical structure of polycaprolactone decorated with branch leaf-like graphene oxide (PCLGO) by wet-electrospinning process. This structure combines a hydrophilic/oleophobic GO anchored into an oleophilic/hydrophobic PCL 3D fiber network. The unique configuration ensures exceptional water diffusion due to the hydrophilic nature of GO, while the hydrophobic PCL fibers enhance the interaction with oil droplets. This synergy promotes oil spreading on the surface and enables superior phase separation of pollutants. The resulting PCLGO structures perform remarkably in separating both water-floating oil and oil-in-water emulsions, achieving an oil adsorption capacity (Qmax) of 28 g/g and an impressive separation efficiency of 99.8 %, with excellent recycling capacity up to 20 cycles. This study provides valuable insights into developing advanced multifunctional materials for water treatment applications and offers a potentially innovative strategy for addressing water treatment challenges.