title: Salt-induced fabrication of superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic PAA-g-PVDF membranes for effective separation of oil-in-water emulsions.
abstract: Conventional polymer membranes suffer from low flux and serious fouling when used for treating emulsified oil/water mixtures. Reported herein is the fabrication of a novel superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic poly(acrylic acid)-grafted PVDF filtration membrane using a salt-induced phase-inversion approach. A hierarchical micro/nanoscale structure is constructed on the membrane surface and endows it with a superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic property. The membrane separates both surfactant-free and surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions under either a small applied pressure (<0.3 bar) or gravity, with high separation efficiency and high flux, which is one to two orders of magnitude higher than those of commercial filtration membranes having a similar permeation property. The membrane exhibits an excellent antifouling property and is easily recycled for long-term use. The outstanding performance of the membrane and the efficient, energy and cost-effective preparation process highlight its potential for practical applications.
authors.affiliation: i-LABand Nano-Bionics Division, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215123 (China).
authors.forename: Wenbin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yuzhang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jingye
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000737:chemistry; D004655:Emulsions / Q000737:chemistry*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D009821:Oils / Q000737:chemistry*; D011145:Polyvinyls / Q000737:chemistry; D016062:Porosity; D011312:Pressure; D012492:Salts / Q000737:chemistry*; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D005465:Fluorocarbon Polymers
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D004655:Emulsions; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D009821:Oils; D011145:Polyvinyls; D012492:Salts; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D014867:Water; C024865:polyvinylidene fluoride; D005465:Fluorocarbon Polymers; C006903:carbopol 940
keywords: hydrophobic effect; membranes; oil-in-water emulsions; porous membranes; surface chemistry