Constructing Antifouling Hybrid Membranes with Hierarchical Hybrid Nanoparticles for Oil-in-Water Emulsion Separation

• Published in: ACS omega 2019-01, Vol.4 (1), p.2320-2330
• Main Authors: Zhao, Xueting, Jia, Ning, Cheng, Lijuan, Wang, Ruoxi, Gao, Congjie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2470-1343; 2470-1343
• DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03408

The development of antifouling membranes plays a vital role in the widespread application of membrane technology, and the hybridization strategy has attracted a significant amount of attention for antifouling applications. In this work, TA/PEI@TiO2 hierarchical hybrid nanoparticles (TPTi HHNs) are first synthesized through a simple strategy combining the multiple catechol chemistries of phenolic tannic acid (TA) with the biomimetic mineralization chemistry of titania. The TPTi HHNs are used as nanofillers to prepare PVDF/TPTi hybrid membranes. The TPTi HHNs endow the membrane with higher porosity, hierarchical roughness, greater hydrophilicity, and underwater superoleophobicity. Upon TPTi HHN loading, the PVDF/TPTi hybrid membranes exhibit enhanced antifouling performance. The flux recovery ratio can reach 92% when utilized to separate oil-in-water emulsion. Even being applied to the three-cycle filtration of oil-in-water emulsion with much higher concentration, the PVDF/TPTi membrane can still maintain a high flux recovery ratio about 85%. This study will provide a facial polyphenol-based platform to fabricate antifouling hybrid nanofillers and antifouling hybrid membranes with promising applications in oil/water separation.