传统的油水分离膜难以在膜通量和分离效率之间建立权衡,并且由于它们的结垢问题和不可降解性通常导致严重的二次污染。在这里,通过烘箱干燥和冷冻干燥的组合引入双重干燥策略,以创建超可湿性和生态友好的油水分离气凝胶膜(TMAdf)。由于干燥过程中形成的常规珍珠层结构和冷冻干燥形成的孔隙,TMAdf气凝胶膜最终形成规则排列的多孔结构。此外,气凝胶膜具有优异的水下超疏油性,接触角高于168°和防污性能。TMAdf气凝胶膜可以单独在重力作用下有效分离不同种类的油水混合物和高度乳化的油水分散体,实现极高的通量(3693L·m-2·h-1)和效率(99%),同时可回收。气凝胶膜还显示出稳定性和通用性,使其在酸性等腐蚀性环境中有效去除水中的油滴,盐和碱。此外,TMAdf气凝胶膜具有持久的抗菌性能(光热灭菌多达6倍)和可生物降解性(在土壤中50天后完全降解)。这项研究为制造用于油水分离的多功能膜提供了新思路和见解。
Conventional oil-water separation membranes are difficult to establish a trade-off between membrane flux and separation efficiency, and often result in serious secondary contamination due to their fouling issue and non-degradability. Herein, a double drying strategy was introduced through a combination of oven-drying and freeze-drying to create a super-wettable and eco-friendly oil-water separating aerogel membrane (TMAdf). Due to the regular nacre-like structures developed in the drying process and the pores formed by freeze-drying, TMAdf aerogel membrane finally develops regularly arranged porous structures. In addition, the aerogel membrane possesses excellent underwater superoleophobicity with a contact angle above 168° and antifouling properties. TMAdf aerogel membrane can effectively separate different kinds of oil-water mixtures and highly emulsified oil-water dispersions under gravity alone, achieving exceptionally high flux (3693 L·m-2·h-1) and efficiency (99 %), while being recyclable. The aerogel membrane also displays stability and universality, making it effective in removing oil droplets from water in corrosive environments such as acids, salts and alkalis. Furthermore, TMAdf aerogel membrane shows long-lasting antibacterial properties (photothermal sterilization up to 6 times) and biodegradability (completely degraded after 50 days in soil). This study presents new ideas and insights for the fabrication of multifunctional membranes for oil-water separation.