Pickering Emulsion-Templated Nanocomposite Membranes for Excellent Demulsification and Oil-Water Separation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Growing global oily wastewater necessitates effective separation strategies.
• Fibrous membranes offer porosity, flexibility, and tunable functionality for water treatment.
• Superwettable and anti-fouling properties are crucial for efficient oil-water separation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robust, superwettable fibrous nanocomposite membrane for efficient oil-water separation and demulsification.
• To combine Pickering emulsion and near gel resin (nGR) electrospinning for membrane fabrication.
• To achieve high separation efficiency, flux, and anti-fouling properties.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a core-sheath structured fibrous membrane using nGR Pickering emulsions stabilized with SiO2 nanoparticles.
• Utilizing a crosslinked polystyrene core for oil adsorption and a SiO2-functionalized crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol sheath for superhydrophilicity and underwater oleophobicity.
• Optimization of the SiO2-Pickering emulsion-templated nanocomposite membrane.

Main Results:

• The membrane exhibited excellent underwater anti-oil adhesion behavior (UWOCA ~148°).
• Achieved over 99% oil-water separation efficiency with a flux up to 3346 ± 91 L m⁻² h⁻¹.
• Demonstrated consistent separation performance over 10 cycles and stability at elevated temperatures.

Conclusions:

• The developed nanocomposite membrane is highly effective for oil-water separation and demulsification.
• The core-sheath structure provides dual functionality for enhanced performance.
• Potential applications extend to selective sorption, catalysis, and storage.