Effective oil-in-water emulsion separation by self-cleaning superoleophobic hydrogel membrane composite with hierarchical structure

IF 10.4 1区工程技术 Q1 ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL

npj Clean Water Pub Date : 2025-05-10 DOI:10.1038/s41545-025-00468-0

Hyun Woong Kwon, Ralph Rolly Gonzales, Pengfei Zhang, Bowen Li, Kwang Seop Im, Jun Ho Park, Tae Kyung Lee, Hideto Matsuyama, Sang Yong Nam

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Abstract

Hollow fiber membranes were fabricated using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) via the thermally induced phase separation method for oil-water separation. By introducing glycerol triacetate (GTA) or propylene carbonate as an extruded solvent, membrane porosity and pore size were controlled, significantly enhancing water permeance. The highest porosity and permeance were achieved with GTA as the co-extruded solvent. To further improve separation performance, a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coating was applied, forming a superhydrophilic and superoleophobic membrane composite. The coated membranes exhibited complete water absorption (0° contact angle) while repelling oil, preventing droplet adhesion. Antifouling performance was significantly improved, with flux recovery ratios exceeding 90% compared to 2–26% for uncoated membranes. The best-performing membrane achieved a high oil-in-water emulsion permeance of 3551 LMH/bar and 99.2% soybean oil removal efficiency. These findings demonstrate the potential of superhydrophilic and superoleophobic membranes with controlled porosity for efficient oil-water separation.

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分层结构的自清洁超疏油水凝胶膜可有效分离油水乳液

以聚偏氟乙烯（PVDF）为原料，采用热诱导相分离法制备了用于油水分离的中空纤维膜。通过引入三乙酸甘油（GTA）或碳酸丙烯酯作为挤压溶剂，控制了膜的孔隙率和孔径，显著提高了膜的透水性。以GTA为共挤溶剂，获得了最高的孔隙率和渗透率。为了进一步提高分离性能，采用聚乙烯醇（PVA）涂层，形成超亲水性和超疏油性复合膜。涂层膜具有完全的吸水性（0°接触角），同时排斥油，防止液滴粘附。与未涂覆膜的2-26%相比，涂覆膜的防污性能显著提高，通量回收率超过90%。性能最好的膜具有3551 LMH/bar的高水包油乳液渗透率和99.2%的豆油去除率。这些发现表明，控制孔隙度的超亲水和超疏油膜具有实现高效油水分离的潜力。

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来源期刊

npj Clean Water Environmental Science-Water Science and Technology

CiteScore

15.30

自引率

2.60%

发文量

审稿时长

5 weeks

期刊介绍： npj Clean Water publishes high-quality papers that report cutting-edge science, technology, applications, policies, and societal issues contributing to a more sustainable supply of clean water. The journal's publications may also support and accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6, which focuses on clean water and sanitation.