Superhydrophobic and superoleophilic PH-CNT membrane for emulsified oil-water separation

Extensive efforts have been devoted to oil-water separation in recent years, especially the separation of water-in-oil emulsions. In this study, we report a superhydrophobic and superoleophilic PH-CNT (poly vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene, carbon nanotubes) membrane with highly porous structures for oil-water separation. The membrane possesses hierarchically layered micro/nano-porous structures both on the membrane surface and inside the nanofibers. The membrane effectively separated surfactant stabilized water-in-oil emulsions with micro/nano droplets, demonstrating a separation efficiency above 99.5%, while also exhibiting excellent recyclability with good chemical and mechanical stability. The PH-CNT membrane holds great potential for the purification of emulsified oil-water mixtures from industrial and domestic sources.