Modified superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic PVDF membrane with ultralow oil-adhesion for highly efficient oil/water emulsion separation

• CS–SiO2–GA–coated PVDF membrane was fabricated.
• It shows superhydrophilic, underwater superoleophobic and ultralow oil-adhesion.
• It can separate an oil/water emulsion with a separation efficiency >99.0%.

A superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic membrane was fabricated by coating polyvinylidene fluoride membrane with chitosan–silica nanoparticles using glutaraldehyde. The chemical composition, microstructure and wettability of the modified membrane were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and contact angles, respectively. The modified membrane exhibited superior superhydrophilicity, underwater superoleophobicity and ultralow oil-adhesion, and hence it could separate an oil/water emulsion with a separation efficiency >99.0%, making it promising for practical oil/water emulsion separation applications.

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