Issue 8, 2018

One-step transformation of highly hydrophobic membranes into superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic ones for high-efficiency separation of oil-in-water emulsions

Abstract

Superhydrophilic membranes have drawn much attention owing to their outstanding anti-fouling performance and ultrahigh permeation flux for wastewater treatment and oil–water separation. Since most widely used polymer membranes have high intrinsic hydrophobicity, a universal approach for superhydrophilic modification is highly required. Yet, how to simply transform highly hydrophobic membranes into superhydrophilic ones is still a challenge. Herein, we develop a one-step and general strategy to achieve the hydrophobic-to-superhydrophilic transformation of commercial membranes on the basis of catechol chemistry, i.e., co-deposition of tannic acid (TA) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) in aqueous solution. Owing to the distinct adhesion properties of TA and the reaction between the oxidative product of TA and the hydrolysis product of APTES, hydrophilic and hierarchical layer-colloidal nanospheres can be in situ assembled on various highly hydrophobic membranes including polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polypropylene (PP), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), copper mesh, stainless steel wire, and nylon mesh. The resulting superhydrophilic membrane can realize high-efficiency separation of various oil-in-water emulsions.

Graphical abstract: One-step transformation of highly hydrophobic membranes into superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic ones for high-efficiency separation of oil-in-water emulsions

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
30 Nov 2017
Accepted
01 Feb 2018
First published
01 Feb 2018

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018,6, 3391-3396

One-step transformation of highly hydrophobic membranes into superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic ones for high-efficiency separation of oil-in-water emulsions

Z. Wang, S. Ji, F. He, M. Cao, S. Peng and Y. Li, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018, 6, 3391 DOI: 10.1039/C7TA10524J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements