PEEK-PANI bi-functional oil-water separation membrane based on structural switchable wettability

Prewetting-induced switchable wettability materials demonstrate considerable potential for a diverse range of applications in comparison to traditional oil-water separation membranes including conventional special wetting materials, due to the distinctive advantages they offer. The current prewetting-induced switchable wettability materials are still constrained by the preparation strategy, separation performance and stability in practical application environment. This study presents a method for the preparation of PEEK/PANI bi-functional oil-water separation membranes by electrospinning and in-situ polyaniline growth. The controllable in-situ growth of PANI particles on PEEK fibers resulted in the formation of surface nano-micro structures, which enhanced the switchable underwater oleophobicity and underoil hydrophobicity of the membrane. The switching of wettability and the separation process is induced by prewetting in water or oil. The membranes display high permeability (maximum water flux of up to 8910 L⋅m⁻²⋅h⁻¹) and separation efficiency (greater than 99.9 %) in gravity-driven oil-water mixtures/emulsion separation. PEEK-PANI composite fiber membranes demonstrate consistent separation performance in a range of corrosive or organic solvent environments due to the robust nature of the materials and the structural wettability This work presents a novel approach for the introduction of surface nano-micro structures and switchable structural wettability, as well as the production of high-performance multifunctional oil-water separation materials.