Super-hydrophilic Poly(arylene ether nitrile) Nanofibrous Composite Membrane: Facile Strategy and Oil-water Emulsions Separation

In this study, we developed the super-hydrophilic nanofibrous composite membrane for the highly efficient separation of various oil-in-water emulsions. To achieve this target, the acidified carbon nanotubes (AC-CNTs) intercalated graphene oxide (GO) were assembled onto electrospun poly(arylene ether nitrile) (PEN) nanofibrous mats via simple vacuum-assisted filtration. As obtained membrane was further modified by dopamine and KH550, thus enhancing the hydrophilicity and micro-/nano- rough structure of membrane surface. As a result, the constructed composite membrane exhibited super-hydrophilic property (water contact angle: ~0°) and high oil–water separation performance for various oil-in-water emulsions (separation flux: 191.7–384.8 L m–2 h–1 and rejection ratio: >94%). In addition, the hierarchical intercalation structure and super-wetting interface endowed the membrane with good anti-fouling performance. Therefore, this work provides an alternative way to construct super-hydrophilic nanofibrous composite membrane for the oily wastewater treatment.