Preparation of Superhydrophilic and Underwater Superoleophobic Nanofiber-Based Meshes from Waste Glass for Multifunctional Oil/Water Separation

Abstract

The deterioration of water resources due to oil pollution, arising from oil spills, industrial oily wastewater discharge, etc., urgently requires the development of novel functional materials for highly efficient water remediation. Recently, superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic materials have drawn significant attention due to their low oil adhesion and selective oil/water separation. However, it is still a challenge to prepare low-cost, environmentally friendly, and multifunctional materials with superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity, which can be stably used for oil/water separation under harsh working conditions. Here, the preparation of nanofiber-based meshes derived from waste glass through a green and sustainable route is demonstrated. The resulting meshes exhibit excellent performance in the selective separation of a wide range of oil/water mixtures. Importantly, these meshes can also maintain the superwetting property and high oil/water separation efficiency under various harsh conditions. Furthermore, the as-prepared mesh can remove water-soluble contaminants simultaneously during the oil/water separation process, leading to multifunctional water purification. The low-cost and environmentally friendly fabrication, harsh-environment resistance, and multifunctional characteristics make these nanofiber-based meshes promising toward oil/water separation under practical conditions.

Keywords: glass; oil/water separation; recycling; superhydrophilic; underwater superoleophobic.