Facile and Green Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Polyacrylonitrile Nonwoven Fabric with Iron Hydroxide Nanoparticles for Efficient Oil/Water Separation

Abstract

Superhydrophobic materials have been used for the treatment of oily wastewater due to their selective absorption properties. However, many of the reported methods for creating superhydrophobic surfaces lack the feasibility for large-scale production due to the use of non-environmentally friendly chemicals or the involvement of complicated fabrication steps. In this study, we report a simple, green, and rapid process for fabricating superhydrophobic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nonwoven fabric (NWF) for the separation of oil/water mixtures via adsorption and filtration strategies. PAN NWF was functionalized with iron hydroxide nanoparticles, which endowed the modified fabric with increased surface roughness and hydrophobic property. In the next step, the superhydrophobicity was attained by creating a multiscale hierarchical surface roughness and lowering the surface energy via an in situ deposition of the iron palmitate complex nano/ microparticles. The resulting superhydrophobic PAN NWF exhibited high chemical stability in corrosive environments and excellent mechanical durability as revealed from the sandpaper abrasion and tape peeling tests. The superhydrophobic NWF showed good oil absorption capacity, high permeation flux, high separation efficiency, and stable performance for 20 separation cycles. The excellent durability, recyclability, and long-term separation performance are expected to enable the application of the modified fabric for water−oil separation in harsh environments.

Ultrafast Room‐Temperature Synthesis of Large‐Scale, Low‐Cost, and Highly Active Ni─Fe Based Electrodes toward Industrialized Seawater Oxidation

“…The two peaks at 711.3 (Fe 2p 3/2 ) and 725.0 eV (Fe 2p 1/2 ) are attributed to Fe 3+ of iron hydroxides, and the 855.8 (Ni 2p 3/2 ) and 873.5 eV (Ni 2p 1/2 ) peaks confirm the existence of Ni(OH) 2 (Figure 2a,b) . [ 19–22 ] Figure 2c exhibits O 1s spectrum of 60Fe/NF, which can be deconvoluted into three peaks at 529.9, 531.4, and 532.9 eV. The peak at 529.9 eV is in accordance with oxygen–metal bonds, while 531.4 eV corresponds to lattice M─OH (where M stands for Fe and Ni) and 532.9 eV water molecules absorbed by the surface.…”

Superhydrophobic Non-Metallic Surfaces with Multiscale Nano/Micro-Structure: Fabrication and Application

“…Coating PLA nanospheres mixed with dioxane on non-woven fabric [193] can also impart excellent hydrophobic and oleophilic properties, completing the water-oil separation process. Other processing methods, such as functionalizing polyacrylonitrile (PAN) non-woven fabric (NWF) with iron hydroxide nano-particles and the in situ deposition of the iron palmitate complex nano/micro-particles, can achieve a water-oil separation efficiency very close to 100% based on the multiscale nano/micro-structures [194]. These validate the potential application of superhydrophobic fabric with multiscale nano/micro-structures in the field of water-oil separation.…”

“…Interestingly, materials commonly found in daily life with loose and porous structures, such as orange peels [156] and cigarette filters [198], can be potential choices for preparing water-oil separation materials. bic fibers [194] (reproduced from [194] with permission (2022) of the American Chemical Society).…”

Up to Date Review of Nature-Inspired Superhydrophobic Textiles: Fabrication and Applications

“…Cheng et al [126] invented a simple method of coaxial electrospinning to produce superhydrophobic membranes for the ultrafast separation of water-in-oil emulsions (Figure 10b). Abu-Thabit et al [127] proposed a facile, eco-friendly, and efficient method for fabricating superhydrophobic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) non-woven fabrics (NWF) for the separation of oil/water mixtures by employing adsorption and filtration strategies. The superhydrophobic NWF demonstrated a commendable oil absorption capacity, high flux permeability, and outstanding separation efficiency.…”