Facile preparation of CuMOF-modified multifunctional nanofiber membrane for high-efficient filtration/separation in complex environments

Abstract

In this study, a multifunctional polyetherimide (PEI) nanofiber membrane decorated by Cu-based metal-organic framework (CuMOF) was proposed for high-efficient filtration/separation in complex environments. In the presence of CuMOF, the hybrid nanofiber membrane exhibited effective antibacterial ability, lotus leaf-like self-cleaning function, and enhanced particulate matter (PM) capture capacity. Significantly, the removal efficiency of resultant membrane for PM of 0.3 µm, 0.5 µm and 0.8 µm was as high as 99.94 %, 99.95 % and 99.99 %, respectively, and the filtration efficiency for particles of ≥ 1.25 µm could reach nearly 100 %. Due to the excellent stability of PEI and CuMOF, the hybrid nanofiber membrane maintained a high removal ability after high temperature (up to 200 °C), acidic and alkaline treatment, and still displayed outstanding recyclability and long-term purification capacity in seriously PM polluted level of > 800 µg/m3. Furthermore, the special selective wettability of hydrophobicity and lipophilicity, as well as the structural stability, enabled the obtained membrane present superior oil/water separation efficiency even in highly salty, acidic and alkaline environments. This work provides a facile and effect approach for the development of comprehensive nanofiber material for various filtration and separation applications.