Superwettable nanofibrous membrane with wrinkled rough structure for efficient water-in-oil separation

Developing an efficient and feasible separation membrane is of great significance for emulsion separation. However, achieving superwettability, high separation efficiency, and high separation flux for separation membranes remains a major challenge. Therefore, we propose a kind of effective strategy to construct superwetting nanofibrous membranes with rough structure through humidity-induced electrospinning in one step. By precisely controlling the rheological properties and component content of polymer precursor solutions, the surface roughness and pore size of the nanofiber membrane fiber were accurately controlled. Due to the unique surface and pore structure of the membrane, it exhibits robust superoleophilicity, superhydrophobicity under oil (>158°), high separation flux (up to 6000 L m-2 h-1), and superior separation efficiency ( less than 50 ppm water content in different filtrates). This work can extend a new perspective to the development of new high-performance liquid separation membranes.