Enhancing antifouling and catalytic cleaning Abilities of fabrics for efficient Oil-Water separation

Abstract

Efficient oil–water separation is critical for environmental sustainability, yet conventional materials often lack the dual antifouling and catalytic self-cleaning capabilities required for long-term performance. This study introduces a novel approach by engineering a biomimetic polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/MnO₂ composite fabric through in situ hydrothermal growth of MnO₂ nanosheets, creating a hierarchical micro/nanostructure inspired by natural systems. This design uniquely integrates passive antifouling (via superhydrophilic surface and microbubble-induced repulsion) with active catalytic cleaning driven by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during hydrogen peroxide decomposition. The composite fabric achieves remarkable separation performance under gravity: a “water-removing” flux of 29,806.4 L m^–2h^–1 and an “oil-removing” flux of 3,580.4 L m^–2h^–1, while maintaining > 99.8 % oil rejection efficiency across diverse oil–water mixtures. Crucially, the synergistic passive-active antifouling mechanism effectively mitigates irreversible fouling, a persistent challenge in conventional membranes. This work advances catalytic self-cleaning technologies by demonstrating how biomimetic structural design and multifunctional chemistry can synergize to address complex oil–water separation challenges, offering a transformative solution for environmental remediation.