Construction of superhydrophilic and under-water superoleophobic carbon-based membranes for water purification

Abstract

Although the rapid development of membrane separation materials has provided a solution for the treatment of oil pollution, new membranes with functionality are also recommended for oil/water separation. Based on the micro-/nano-sized pore of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) membranes, polyacrylic acid (PAA) brushes were grafted via free radical polymerization, then silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were loaded, and Ag/PAA-CNTs hybrid membranes have thus been constructed. Such membranes are capable of separating oil-in-water emulsions because of their hydrophilicity and underwater oleophobicity, moreover, the loaded Ag NPs provide antibacterial function, which maybe open a new window to achieve multifunctional materials for water treatment.