Hygro-responsive membranes for effective oil–water separation

Arun K. Kota, Gibum Kwon, Wonjae Choi, Joseph M. Mabry and Anish Tuteja ()
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Arun K. Kota: University of Michigan
Gibum Kwon: University of Michigan
Wonjae Choi: University of Texas, Dallas
Joseph M. Mabry: Air Force Research Laboratory, Edwards Air Force Base
Anish Tuteja: University of Michigan

Nature Communications, 2012, vol. 3, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract There is a critical need for new energy-efficient solutions to separate oil–water mixtures, especially those stabilized by surfactants. Traditional membrane-based separation technologies are energy-intensive and limited, either by fouling or by the inability of a single membrane to separate all types of oil–water mixtures. Here we report membranes with hygro-responsive surfaces, which are both superhydrophilic and superoleophobic, in air and under water. Our membranes can separate, for the first time, a range of different oil–water mixtures in a single-unit operation, with >99.9% separation efficiency, by using the difference in capillary forces acting on the two phases. Our separation methodology is solely gravity-driven and consequently is expected to be highly energy-efficient. We anticipate that our separation methodology will have numerous applications, including the clean-up of oil spills, wastewater treatment, fuel purification and the separation of commercially relevant emulsions.

Date: 2012
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:3:y:2012:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms2027

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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2027

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