Highly adhesive bioinspired membrane for efficient oil/water separation by optimization of synergistic effects of hierarchical structure and superhydrophobic modification

Superwetting membranes have good prospective for treatment of oil-containing wastewaters. However, development of highly adhesive superhydrophobic membranes with efficient oil-water separation performance remains a great challenge that needs to be addressed urgently. Herein, highly adhesive membrane surface with hierarchical structure were fabricated by in-situ TEOS hydrolysis and fluorinated modification. The interface bonding force between polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and silica nanoparticles (SiO₂ NPs) was increased through the dopamine self-polymerization and adhesion. The hierarchical structure was obtained by simultaneously adjusting TEOS and ammonia contents. The three-dimensional hierarchical membrane structure which is similar to that of a rose petal was shown by SEM analysis. The obtained membrane showed a water contact angle of 158 ± 2°, while the oil contact angle approaches 0°. In-situ grown multi-scale SiO₂ NPs, perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (FAS) brushes and dopamine can form a stable hierarchical surface which sustained superhydrophobicity/superoleophilicity when immersed in aqueous solutions at different pH values. Meanwhile, FAS brushes can serve as steric obstacles to efficiently repel water droplets during oil/water separation. The fabricated membrane possesses a high permeation flux and excellent separation properties (> 98%). In addition, this highly adhesive coating modification and hierarchical design can be widely applied on the surfaces of different materials, giving an attractive potential application prospect, such as oil/water separation, antifouling surface, and superwetting materials.