One-step electrospinning PCL/ph-LPSQ nanofibrous membrane with excellent self-cleaning and oil-water separation performance

The ladder-like phenyl polysilsesquioxane (ph-LPSQ) was synthesized by sol-gel method. Then the Polycaprolactone/ladder-like polysilsesquioxane (PCL/ph-LPSQ) nanofibrous membranes were prepared via one-step electrospinning technique. The addition of ph-LPSQ was proposed to improve the hydrophobic and thermal properties of PCL membranes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images showed the PCL/ph-LPSQ composite fibers had porous rough surface structure, which was caused by solvent evaporation induced phase separation, respiration diagram and silicon segment migration. The composition of PCL/ph-LPSQ membranes was characterized by using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Compared with pristine PCL membranes, the water contact angle and initial degradation temperature for PCL/ph-LPSQ membranes were increased to 158.0° and 355 °C, respectively, from the corresponding 133.6° and 340 °C. The superhydrophobic PCL/ph-LPSQ membranes exhibited excellent self-cleaning, anti-fouling and oil-water separation performance. Driven by gravity alone, the oil-water separation efficiency remained as high as 98% after ten cycles. More importantly, the as-prepared membrane showed good stability in 80 °C, 1 M acid, alkali and salt solutions. Considering the comprehensive properties of PCL/ph-LPSQ membranes, it might be a promising nonwoven fabric material in many fields like textile manufacturing industry.