Nanofibers for Oil-Water/Water-Oil Separation

Water pollution poses a significant environmental challenge that has garnered considerable attention, primarily due to its role in depleting vital resources. The separation of oil from water presents a complex issue for industries, particularly when large quantities of stable oil/water emulsions are released. This article reviews recent advancements, particularly over the past seven years, in the membrane separation of oil-water mixtures utilizing nanofiber membranes through filtration and absorption methods. Among the various techniques for fabricating membranes, electrospinning has emerged as a favored approach due to its ease of mass production and the potential for integrating other functional materials at the nanoscale. This method has gained significant interest in developing innovative nanofibrous membranes characterized by selective wettability, optimized pore structures, and high specific surface areas. Electrospinning is recognized as the most versatile technique for producing nanofibers embedded with diverse active agents. Several strategies have been explored, including the electrospinning of polymer blends rather than single polymeric materials, surface modifications through coating or grafting, and the incorporation of nanofillers to create mixed matrix membranes. Notably, numerous efforts have been made to manipulate surface hydrophobicity and oleophobicity by designing hierarchical and Janus structures. The future of electrospinning technology appears promising for the design and fabrication of next-generation materials for oil-water separation.