A superhydrophobic-superoleophilic PVDF membrane is fabricated via an inert solvent-induced phase inversion for effective separation of both micrometer and nanometer-sized surfactant-free and surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions solely driven by gravity, with high separation efficiency (oil purity in filtrate after separation > 99.95 wt%) and high flux, which is several times higher than those of commercial filtration membranes and reported materials with similar permeation properties.
A novel all-inorganic Cu(OH)2 nanowire-haired membrane with superhydrophilicity and underwater ultralow adhesive superoleophobicity is fabricated by a facile surface oxidation of copper mesh that allows effective separation of both immiscible oil/water mixtures and oil-in-water emulsions solely driven by gravity, with extremely high separation efficiency. The all-inorganic membrane exhibits superior solvent and alkaline resistance and antifouling property compared to organic-based membranes.
As an alternative to polymer membranes, ultrathin free-standing single-walled carbon-nanotube network films are used to realize oil/water separation with ultrahigh flux. The films with tunable thickness of the tens of nanometer scale can effectively separate both micrometer and nanometer-sized surfactant-free and surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions with a flux 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than commercial filtration membranes with similar separation performance.
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