Superhydrophilic poly(lactic acid)/TiO2 nanofiber membrane for sustainable and efficient oil-in-water emulsion separation
摘要
In response to the challenge of oily wastewater, a biodegradable, superhydrophilic, and underwater superoleophobic polylactic acid (PLA) membrane was successfully fabricated via electrospinning and subsequently modified by dip coating with a hydrophilic copolymer synthesized from vinyltriethoxysilane (VTEOS) and N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP). The incorporation of TiO2 nanoparticles enhanced surface roughness and endowed the membrane with photocatalytic function. Compared to the pristine hydrophobic PLA membrane, the optimized modified membrane exhibited instant superhydrophilic, with a water contact angle reducing to 0° within 2.1 s in air, along with an underwater oil contact angle of 153.94°. It achieved a high pure water flux of 4668.69 L m−2 h−1, a maximum separation efficiency of 98.72% for surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions, and a separation flux of up to 1324.18 L m−2 h−1. The membrane also demonstrated excellent reusability, retaining a high flux recovery rate and separation efficiency over 10 cycles. Furthermore, the membrane exhibited significant photocatalytic activity, degrading 97.77% of methylene blue under solar irradiation. This research offers a promising approach for designing eco-friendly, multifunctional membranes for efficient oily wastewater remediation.