Enzymatic construction of temperature-responsive PDMAPS-decorated textiles for oil-water separation

In view of the frequent occurrence of oil-containing pollutant discharge events, many optimal strategies for oil-water separation were proposed. However, the large-scale application of these strategies is severely limited by the lack of environmental unfriendliness and intelligent response capability. To address these issues, we developed a thermo-responsive fabric with switchable wettability that can be applied for efficient oil-water separation by an eco-friendly enzymatic method. Briefly, 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (KH-570) and boron nitride (BN) nanosheets were introduced to the surfaces of cotton fabric, followed by enzymatic graft polymerization of N,N -dimethyl (methacryloylethyl) ammonium propane sulfonate (DMAPS) onto the fibers using horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Thanks to the switchable wettability of the composite layer on the yarn surfaces, oil and water can pass through the cotton fabric at the temperatures below and above 28 o C, respectively, realizing highly efficient oil-water separation. The resulting temperature-responsive textiles exhibit encouraging separation performance, and the separation efficiency, oil flux, and water flux reach as high as 95%, 542.57 L·h −1 m -2 , and 477.26 L·h −1 m -2 , respectively. Meanwhile, the cyclic separation capability, acid-alkali tolerance, and mechanical friction stability of the composite textiles are encouraging. The present work provides an alternative for construction of oil-water separation materials, which inspires further research on the smart oil-water separation strategies. • Hydrophobic surface of cotton fiber was constructed by introducing BN nanosheets and vinylsilane coupling agent. • HRP-catalyzed graft polymerization of PDMAPS endowed cotton textile with switchable hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. • The composite textile with temperature-responsive polymers exhibits encouraging effect for oil-water separation.