Gravity driven separation of emulsified oil–water mixtures utilizing in situ polymerized superhydrophobic and superoleophilic nanofibrous membranes

Abstract

A novel and scalable strategy was developed for the synthesis of in situ polymerized superhydrophobic and superoleophilic nanofibrous membranes for effective separation of water-in-oil microemulsions, which exhibit an extremely high flux of 892 L m−2 h−1 solely driven by gravity, as well as good antifouling properties, thermal stability and durability.