In situ growth of ZIF-8 on nanofibrous membrane for long-term ultra-high flux coalescence separation of oil-in-water emulsion

The presence of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions poses a serious threat to the equilibrium of aquatic ecosystems, contaminates potable water resources, and disrupts the structure of soil layers. Consequently, there is an urgent need for effective and economically viable methods for removing emulsified oil droplets from water. The coalescence method has been proposed as an effective means of separating O/W emulsions. In this study, we developed an in situ growth strategy to decorate zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) on electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers for coalescence separation. The in situ growth process commenced with pretreatment to activate the PAN membrane, creating anchor sites for zinc ions, which was followed by immersion in precursors of ZIF-8 particles. The incorporation of ZIF-8 enhanced amphiphilicity, and roughness, and imparted a positive charge to the membrane, which was anticipated to effectively demulsify and coalesce oil droplets with a negative charge. The ZIF-8/PAN nanofiber membrane obtained a separation ratio exceeding 99.9 % for surfactant-free emulsions and 97.1 % for surfactant-stabilized emulsions. It also demonstrated an ultra-high permeation flux of 21,177 L m−2 h−1 and 14,118 L m−2 h−1, respectively, in a long-term continuous separation process.