Effective oil-in-water emulsion separation by self-cleaning superoleophobic hydrogel membrane composite with hierarchical structure
Abstract Hollow fiber membranes were fabricated using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) via the thermally induced phase separation method for oil-water separation. By introducing glycerol triacetate (GTA) or propylene carbonate as an extruded solvent, membrane porosity and pore size were controlled, si...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | npj Clean Water |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00468-0 |
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| author | Hyun Woong Kwon Ralph Rolly Gonzales Pengfei Zhang Bowen Li Kwang Seop Im Jun Ho Park Tae Kyung Lee Hideto Matsuyama Sang Yong Nam |
| author_facet | Hyun Woong Kwon Ralph Rolly Gonzales Pengfei Zhang Bowen Li Kwang Seop Im Jun Ho Park Tae Kyung Lee Hideto Matsuyama Sang Yong Nam |
| author_sort | Hyun Woong Kwon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Hollow fiber membranes were fabricated using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) via the thermally induced phase separation method for oil-water separation. By introducing glycerol triacetate (GTA) or propylene carbonate as an extruded solvent, membrane porosity and pore size were controlled, significantly enhancing water permeance. The highest porosity and permeance were achieved with GTA as the co-extruded solvent. To further improve separation performance, a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coating was applied, forming a superhydrophilic and superoleophobic membrane composite. The coated membranes exhibited complete water absorption (0° contact angle) while repelling oil, preventing droplet adhesion. Antifouling performance was significantly improved, with flux recovery ratios exceeding 90% compared to 2–26% for uncoated membranes. The best-performing membrane achieved a high oil-in-water emulsion permeance of 3551 LMH/bar and 99.2% soybean oil removal efficiency. These findings demonstrate the potential of superhydrophilic and superoleophobic membranes with controlled porosity for efficient oil-water separation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e951623c71e6406d835b3fa8f1ad5867 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2059-7037 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Clean Water |
| spelling | doaj-art-e951623c71e6406d835b3fa8f1ad58672025-08-20T03:09:34ZengNature Portfolionpj Clean Water2059-70372025-05-01811910.1038/s41545-025-00468-0Effective oil-in-water emulsion separation by self-cleaning superoleophobic hydrogel membrane composite with hierarchical structureHyun Woong Kwon0Ralph Rolly Gonzales1Pengfei Zhang2Bowen Li3Kwang Seop Im4Jun Ho Park5Tae Kyung Lee6Hideto Matsuyama7Sang Yong Nam8Department of Materials Engineering and Convergence Technology, Engineering Research Institute, Gyeongsang National UniversityResearch Center for Membrane and Film Technology, Kobe University, NadaResearch Center for Membrane and Film Technology, Kobe University, NadaResearch Center for Membrane and Film Technology, Kobe University, NadaDepartment of Materials Engineering and Convergence Technology, Engineering Research Institute, Gyeongsang National UniversityDepartment of Materials Engineering and Convergence Technology, Engineering Research Institute, Gyeongsang National UniversityDepartment of Materials Engineering and Convergence Technology, Engineering Research Institute, Gyeongsang National UniversityResearch Center for Membrane and Film Technology, Kobe University, NadaDepartment of Materials Engineering and Convergence Technology, Engineering Research Institute, Gyeongsang National UniversityAbstract Hollow fiber membranes were fabricated using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) via the thermally induced phase separation method for oil-water separation. By introducing glycerol triacetate (GTA) or propylene carbonate as an extruded solvent, membrane porosity and pore size were controlled, significantly enhancing water permeance. The highest porosity and permeance were achieved with GTA as the co-extruded solvent. To further improve separation performance, a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coating was applied, forming a superhydrophilic and superoleophobic membrane composite. The coated membranes exhibited complete water absorption (0° contact angle) while repelling oil, preventing droplet adhesion. Antifouling performance was significantly improved, with flux recovery ratios exceeding 90% compared to 2–26% for uncoated membranes. The best-performing membrane achieved a high oil-in-water emulsion permeance of 3551 LMH/bar and 99.2% soybean oil removal efficiency. These findings demonstrate the potential of superhydrophilic and superoleophobic membranes with controlled porosity for efficient oil-water separation.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00468-0 |
| spellingShingle | Hyun Woong Kwon Ralph Rolly Gonzales Pengfei Zhang Bowen Li Kwang Seop Im Jun Ho Park Tae Kyung Lee Hideto Matsuyama Sang Yong Nam Effective oil-in-water emulsion separation by self-cleaning superoleophobic hydrogel membrane composite with hierarchical structure npj Clean Water |
| title | Effective oil-in-water emulsion separation by self-cleaning superoleophobic hydrogel membrane composite with hierarchical structure |
| title_full | Effective oil-in-water emulsion separation by self-cleaning superoleophobic hydrogel membrane composite with hierarchical structure |
| title_fullStr | Effective oil-in-water emulsion separation by self-cleaning superoleophobic hydrogel membrane composite with hierarchical structure |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effective oil-in-water emulsion separation by self-cleaning superoleophobic hydrogel membrane composite with hierarchical structure |
| title_short | Effective oil-in-water emulsion separation by self-cleaning superoleophobic hydrogel membrane composite with hierarchical structure |
| title_sort | effective oil in water emulsion separation by self cleaning superoleophobic hydrogel membrane composite with hierarchical structure |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00468-0 |
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