Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes: An Effective Arsenal for the Purification of Emulsified Oily Wastewater

Abstract Oil spills and the release of oily sewage from domestic and industrial activities have not only imposed a huge threat to all living beings in the ecosystem but have also exacerbated water scarcity. To address such issues, the development of advanced materials and technologies for the purification of emulsified oily wastewater has garnered great concern and become a central topic. Electrospun nanofibrous membranes with intriguing advantages, including tunable wettability, diverse structures, good connectivity, and ease of scalable production, have generated significant interest and are showing great promise for treating emulsified oily wastewater. Here, a systematic overview of the rational design and controlled fabrication of nanofibrous membranes toward the separation of oil‐in‐water emulsions is given. Some design considerations about the fabrication of membranes for emulsion separation are presented as a starting point for the discussion. Electrospun nanofibrous membranes with desirable wettability and rational structure are then introduced and classified as polymeric, inorganic, and hybrid membranes in terms of raw material components. The different design concepts, fabrication strategies, and performance characteristics of each type are comprehensively discussed. Furthermore, significant properties are presented, which are required by membranes in practical applications. Finally, the challenges and future development trends in this field are highlighted.