Nepenthes bioinspired superhydrophilic nanofiber membrane with micro/nano structure via microfluidic electrospinning

Surface hydrophilization is an effective antifouling strategy for membranes. However, it still faces foulants adhering and migrating, leading to irreversible performance decline. Here, inspired by the micro/nano-textured protrusions of the Nepenthes peristome, we proposed a synergistically antifouling strategy combining a stable hydration layer with a physical barrier. Hydrophilic SiO₂ nanoparticles and tea polyphenol (TP) were incorporated via microfluidic electrospinning to construct a superhydrophilic nanofiber membrane. The introduced SiO₂ constructed micro/nano- rough structures as a physical barrier while a stable hydration layer of TP was formed. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the robust interfacial binding through a dense hydrogen-bond network. The modified membrane displayed the great permeance of 25,462 L·m^-2·h^-1·bar^-1 with 99.9 % oil rejection for separating soybean oil-in-water emulsion and the flux recovery ratio was 95.06 % after 300 min. This work provided a general design principle for antifouling interfaces with potential applications in environmental, energy, and biomedical.