TY - JOUR
T1 - Superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity TiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 composite membrane with ultra low oil adhesion for highly efficient oil-in-water emulsions separation
AU - Zhang, Dawei
AU - Wang, Gang
AU - Zhi, Shudi
AU - Xu, Kaile
AU - Zhu, Lijing
AU - Li, Wenwei
AU - Zeng, Zhixiang
AU - Xue, Qunji
PY - 2018/11/15
Y1 - 2018/11/15
N2 - To improve the separation efficiency and decrease fouling of the membranes used in oil-in-water emulsions separation, a superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic TiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 composite membrane with ultra low oil adhesion was designed. TiO 2 nanorod arrays were prepared on Al 2 O 3 porous ceramic membrane surface by simple magnetron sputtering and hydrothermal oxidation. The microstructure and surface photosensitivity of TiO 2 nanorod array-coated ceramic membrane can effectively increase the efficiency of oil-water separation and reduce the degree of surface fouling. The layer of TiO 2 nanorod arrays not only reduced the pore size of traditional ceramic membrane (enhanced sieving effect of porous structures) but also endowed its superhydrophilicity (enhanced flux) and underwater superoleophobicity (enhanced oil/water selectivity and antifouling). Based on the superhydrophilicity (water contact angle (WCA) of 0°) and underwater superoleophobicity (oil contact angle (OCA) higher than 150°) of ceramic membrane, oil droplets were blocked by the membrane (oil-water separation efficiency 99.1% under gravity) and water will pass (flux is maintained at 41.8 L/(m 2 h) under gravity). It also has excellent anti-fouling ability due to the ultra-low oil adhesion force (0.084 mN) of the TiO 2 nanorod array-coating after UV irradiation. These features, combined with energy-saving, low-cost and easy-to-scale manufacturing schemes will be of great versatility and practicality in environmental rehabilitation and wastewater purification.
AB - To improve the separation efficiency and decrease fouling of the membranes used in oil-in-water emulsions separation, a superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic TiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 composite membrane with ultra low oil adhesion was designed. TiO 2 nanorod arrays were prepared on Al 2 O 3 porous ceramic membrane surface by simple magnetron sputtering and hydrothermal oxidation. The microstructure and surface photosensitivity of TiO 2 nanorod array-coated ceramic membrane can effectively increase the efficiency of oil-water separation and reduce the degree of surface fouling. The layer of TiO 2 nanorod arrays not only reduced the pore size of traditional ceramic membrane (enhanced sieving effect of porous structures) but also endowed its superhydrophilicity (enhanced flux) and underwater superoleophobicity (enhanced oil/water selectivity and antifouling). Based on the superhydrophilicity (water contact angle (WCA) of 0°) and underwater superoleophobicity (oil contact angle (OCA) higher than 150°) of ceramic membrane, oil droplets were blocked by the membrane (oil-water separation efficiency 99.1% under gravity) and water will pass (flux is maintained at 41.8 L/(m 2 h) under gravity). It also has excellent anti-fouling ability due to the ultra-low oil adhesion force (0.084 mN) of the TiO 2 nanorod array-coating after UV irradiation. These features, combined with energy-saving, low-cost and easy-to-scale manufacturing schemes will be of great versatility and practicality in environmental rehabilitation and wastewater purification.
KW - Ceramic membrane
KW - O/W emulsions separation
KW - Superhydrophilicity
KW - Titanium dioxide
KW - Underwater superoleophobicity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85049802066&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.07.052
DO - 10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.07.052
M3 - Article (Academic Journal)
AN - SCOPUS:85049802066
SN - 0169-4332
VL - 458
SP - 157
EP - 165
JO - Applied Surface Science
JF - Applied Surface Science
ER -