Membrane separation based on smart materials with responsive wettability has attracted great attention due to the excellent performance of controllable oil-water separation. Herein, responsive copolymer originated from N-isopropylacrylamide and 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate was synthesized and electrospun with polyacrylonitrile to fabricate smart composite membrane. The introduction of the responsive copolymer endowed the membrane with stimuli-responsive wettability to pH and temperature. Specifically, at the initial state, water was selectively blocked while oil passed through the membrane. After treatment with acidic water or CO, the reverse separation was realized due to the protonation of the tertiary amine group in the copolymer. Water was selectively passed through the membrane after heat treatment because of the structural change of membrane upon temperature. The developed membrane was able to separate different types of oil-water mixtures and surfactant-stabled emulsions with high efficiency. Additionally, two membranes controlled by temperature and pH were designed to construct a logic AND gate for oil-water separation, and the results demonstrated that only the temperature and acidity of the solution were simultaneously satisfied, the water could flow through the valve combination, and such capability made this smart membrane great potential for remotely controlling the oil-water separation process.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129565 | DOI Listing |
Langmuir
January 2025
Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States.
Simultaneously hydrophilic and oleophobic surfaces offer substantial advantages for applications such as antifogging, self-cleaning, and oil-water separation. It remains challenging to engineer such surfaces without requiring polar functional groups. This study introduces HFIL, a novel ionic liquid (IL) coating that achieves simultaneous hydrophilic and oleophobic properties via a one-step dip-coating process without relying on polar functional groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWater Environ Res
January 2025
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Environmental Pollution Control, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, P. R. China.
The discharge of oil-laden wastewater from industrial processes and the frequent occurrence of oil spills pose severe threats to the ecological environment and human health. Membrane materials with special wettability have garnered attention for their ability to achieve efficient oil-water separation by leveraging the differences in wettability at the oil-water interface. These materials are characterized by their simplicity, energy efficiency, environmental friendliness, and reusability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecules
January 2025
Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Shanxi Institute of Energy, Jinzhong 030600, China.
Anisotropic particles have a wide range of applications in materials science such as emulsion stabilization, oil-water separation, and catalysis due to their asymmetric structure and properties. Nevertheless, designing and synthesizing large quantities of anisotropic particles with controlled morphologies continue to present considerable challenges. In this study, we successfully synthesized anisotropic microspheres using a soap-free seed emulsion polymerization method.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2025
Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology Nagaland, Chumukedima, Dimapur 797103, India.
An exceedingly porous and interwoven fibrous structure was achieved in this study by interlocking titanium carbide (TiC) MXenes onto the electrospun mats using poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) as the base polymer. The fibrous membrane was further modified with the inclusion of zinc oxide (ZnO) and tungstite (WO·HO) nano/microstructures via annealing and hydrothermal approaches. Through these strategic interfaced morphological developments in novel TiC/ZnO/WO·HO heterostructures, our findings reveal enhanced wettability and charge-segregation desirable for promoting oil-water separation and photoreactivity, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Phys Chem B
January 2025
Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai 400094, India.
Introduction of non-DLVO forces by nonionic surfactants brings about fascinating changes in the phase behavior of silica nanosuspensions. We show here that alterations in the interaction and wetting properties of negatively charged silica nanoparticles (Ludox® LS) in the presence of polyethylene oxide-polypropylene oxide-polyethylene oxide-based triblock copolymers called Pluronics lead to the formation of stable o/w Pickering emulsions and interparticle attraction-induced thermoresponsive liquid-liquid phase separations. The results make interesting comparisons with those reported for Ludox® TM nanosuspensions comprising larger silica nanoparticles.
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