Hydrophobic microporous
polystyrene (PS) fibers are fabricated
by a solvent-induced phase-separation-assisted electrospinning method.
Zinc oxide (ZnO) and silver-doped zinc oxide (Ag-ZnO) nanomaterials
with variable morphologies are added to the PS fibers, to investigate
the influence of multifunctional nanofiller addition on the porosity
and consequent oil-adsorbing properties for different oil types. The
doping of silver as well as the uniformity in particle distribution
are confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and the energy-dispersive
spectral analyses. The porosity of the fibers and their crystallinity
effect depend on the hydrophobicity and surface properties of these
microporous nanofilled fibers. Ag-ZnO, specifically in 2 wt %, enhanced
the pore size and distribution in PS porous fibers, thereby enhancing
the oil-adsorbing property and its hydrophobicity. In-depth analysis
of the oil adsorption mechanism is done for the fibers, both qualitatively
and quantitatively, to demonstrate its correlation with the structural
integrity of the fibers. The PS/2Ag-ZnO composite also exhibits the
highest antibacterial performance against Staphylococcus
aureus, a general indication of antibiological fouling
properties of these oil-separating films. The antifouling/antibacterial
activity of the nanoparticles and high oil sorption capacity of the
highly porous PS composites show great potential for use in water-treatment-related
applications.
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