A Novel PAN-GO-SiO2 Hybrid Membrane for Separating Oil and Water from Emulsified Mixture

Abstract

In this article, we report the development of a polyacrylonitrile-graphene oxide-silicon dioxide (PAN-GO-SiO2) hybrid membrane for separation of oil and water from their emulsified mixture. The membrane was successfully fabricated using a one-step electrospinning process. GO and SiO2 nanofillers were added in PAN in different concentrations to determine the optimized composition for the PAN-GO-SiO2 hybrid membrane. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination showed that the nanofillers were uniformly embedded in the nanofibrous structure of the electrospun hybrid membrane. The GO was mainly embedded inside the PAN nanofibers, causing knots while SiO2 nanoparticles were found embedded on the nanofiber surface, resulting in the formation of micro-nano protrusions on the fiber surface. The formation of these hierarchical structures, together with enhanced hydrophilicity due to oxygen containing groups on both SiO2 and GO, resulted in a high rejection (>99%) of oil from oil-water emulsion. Membrane performance evaluation under gravity separation tests showed that the separation flux and phase rejection was enhanced with the incorporation of nanofillers. The inclusion of nanofillers also enhanced the mechanical properties of the membrane. The best flux and phase separation performance was obtained for an optimized concentration of 7.5 wt % SiO2 and 1.5 wt % GO in PAN. The flux of separated water was enhanced from 2600 L m−2 h−1 for pristine PAN to 3151 L m−2 h−1 for PAN-GO-SiO2. The hybrid membrane also showed good mechanical and chemical stability, and antifouling propensity.

Surface-Modified Nanofibrous PVDF Membranes for Liquid Separation Technology

“…Research results indicated that increasing the hydrophilicity of the membrane prevented membrane fouling and improved membrane permeability [4,16,22].…”

Mixed Dye Removal Efficiency of Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile–Graphene Oxide Composite Membranes

“…The composite nanofibers with the GO amount over 10 wt % appeared to be rougher than those with the lower GO amount, but did not show any detectable defects (e.g., beads and nodes). It is noted that the integration of bare GO into PAN typically reaches around 5 wt % [ 19 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ], whereas only a few studies describe the loading of GO up to 15 wt % into PAN nanofibers that required some chemical modifications and the use of additives [ 9 , 24 ]. Unlike polymer matrix modification, stabilizing the guest GO with CTAC via electrostatic interactions greatly increased its miscibility with PAN polymers in a DMF solution to prevent the clogging and/or phase separation during 6 h of electrospinning.…”

“…However, the use of fillers also requires the extensive optimization of the electrospinning conditions via trial and error to avoid the destruction of their original structures due to their immiscibility [ 1 , 2 ]. Among many filler materials [ 8 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ], graphene oxide (GO) is of particular interest because it is inexpensive and possesses various physical properties, as well as easy surface functionalization. The integration of GO into polymeric materials has several potential advantages, including promoting an increase in the mechanical strength, permeability, selectivity, and antifouling properties [ 10 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ].…”

Well-Adhered Copper Nanocubes on Electrospun Polymeric Fibers

“…In this paper, we utilize a bottom-up method to grow well-defined, discretely distributed copper nanocubes on aligned polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers and microfibers based on electroless deposition from aqueous solutions. The interesting mix of hydrophilicity, chemical stability, and strong mechanical performance of electrospun PAN fibers has enabled their widespread adoption and adaptability as functional scaffolds for diverse application designs [ 17 , 18 ]. Furthermore, metallic nanocubes classically possess a high surface area harnessed for catalysis, and through anchoring on electrospun fibers, a surface area synergy is achieved that enhances functional efficacy [ 19 , 20 ].…”