PVDF nanofibrous membranes modified via laser-synthesized Ag nanoparticles for a cleaner oily water separation

Abstract

The relatively new exploitation of nanoassemblies used for the recovery of clean water from oily emulsions has received a great deal of attention recently. Among the different innovations, nanofibrous membranes decorated with nanoparticles seem to be the most promising option due to their versatility, recyclability, and high oil/water separation performance. In the current study, we introduce a laser-mediated strategy to produce polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibrous membranes decorated with a low loading of Ag nanoparticles. The pristine membranes were firstly modified by an alkaline treatment to obtain hydroxyl groups on their surface, which then facilitated the nanoparticle decoration. The synthesis and decoration of the nanoparticles were achieved by the laser-mediated reduction of silver nitrate dissolved in water, while no hazardous reducing or stabilizing agents were employed in the process. In comparison with the unmodified membrane, the modified one displayed an outstanding hydrophilic behavior and a remarkable 3.9-fold improvement in the separation of water from oily emulsions with a nearly negligible permeability decline through the time. In sum, the introduced methodology not only enables the improvement over the oil/water separation performance in polymer-based membranes but also promises to reduce the environmental impact related to the design of nanotechnology-based solutions used in the sector.