Facile
Immobilization of Ag Nanocluster on Nanofibrous
Membrane for Oil/Water Separation
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Abstract
Superhydrophobic
and superoleophilic electrospun nanofibrous membranes
exhibiting excellent oil/water separation performance were green fabricated
by a facile route combining the amination of electrospun polyacrylonitrile
(APAN) nanofibers and immobilization of a Ag nanocluster with an electroless
plating technique, followed by <i>n</i>-hexadecyl mercaptan
(RSH) surface modification. By introducing the hierarchically rough
structures and low surface energy, the pristine superhydrophilic APAN
nanofibrous membranes could be endowed with a superhydrophobicity
with water contact angle of 171.1 ± 2.3°, a superoleophilicity
with oil contact angle of 0° and a self-cleaning surface arising
from the extremely low water contact angle hysteresis (3.0 ±
0.6°) and a low water-adhesion property. Surface morphology studies
have indicated that the selective wettability of the resultant membranes
could be manipulated by tuning the electroless plating time as well
as the hierarchical structures. More importantly, the extremely high
liquid entry pressure of water (LEPw, 175 ± 3 kPa) and the robust
fiber morphology of the APAN immobilized Ag nanocluster endowed the
as-prepared membranes with excellent separation capability and stability
for oil/water separation by a solely gravity-driven process. The resultant
membranes exhibited remarkable separation efficiency in both hyper-saline
environment and broad pH range conditions, as well as excellent recyclability,
which would make them a promising candidate for industrial oil-contaminated
water treatments and marine spilt oil cleanup, and provided a new
prospect to achieve functional nanofibrous membranes for oil/water
separation