Water Separation Membranes Research Articles

Metal–Organic Frameworks-Based Membranes with Special Wettability for Oil–Water Separation: A Review

The presence of oily wastewater poses a significant threat to both the ecological environment and public health. In order to solve this problem, the design and preparation of an efficient oil–water separation membrane is very important. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are currently a promising material for oil–water separation due to their tunable wettability, adjustable pore size and also low density, high porosity, and high surface area. Therefore, MOFs-based membranes show great potential in the field of oil–water separation. In this paper, we first introduce the oil–water separation mechanism and then comprehensively summarize the common preparation methods of MOFs-based oil–water separation membranes and the research progress of different MOFs-based membranes, including the ZIF series, UiO series, MIL series, etc. Finally, we also analyze the challenges faced by MOFs-based membranes in oil–water separation and provide an outlook on their future development and application.

Dual regulation of graphene oxide membrane by crosslinker and hydrophilic promoter for dye separation

Graphene oxide (GO)-based membranes have shown considerable promise in the field of water treatment. However, the structural swelling of GO membranes in water has hindered their further development. A single regulatory approach seems difficult to simultaneously improve permeability, selectivity, and stability. In this study, we present a dual regulation strategy for GO membranes employing the 1,4-Diaminobutane crosslinker to prevent swelling and maintain an interlayer spacing of 1.34 nm, resulting in effective dye rejection, and employing the hydrophilic EMT-type zeolite promoter to improve the membrane's water permeability. The obtained NH2-GO/10EMT composite membrane exhibited enhanced pure water flux (from 9.0 to 20.8 L/m2 h bar) and anionic dye rejection (from 87.2% to 97.6%) with promising structure stability (at least 20 h), while greatly improving the membrane's fouling resistance (the water recovery ratio increased from 46.5% to 86.2%). Our findings provide a straightforward and efficient approach to the development of high-performance GO membranes for selective water separation.

Mixed-linker MOF-303 membranes for pervaporation

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) hold great promise as porous materials for pervaporation applications. However, the exploration of MOF membranes in this field is still in its early stages. One of the main challenges is the relatively low mass flux and stability of pure MOF membranes compared to other materials used in pervaporation. In this study, we propose a novel approach to enhance the separation performance of MOF membranes for water and ethanol separation. Our strategy involves incorporating the 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid (TDC) linker into the MOF-303 structure, partially replacing the 3,5-pyrazoledicarboxylic acid (PDC) linker. The goal is to increase the aperture size of the microporous channels in the pristine MOF-303 membrane, thereby improving the mass flux. X-ray diffraction characterization, combined with Rietveld refinement, confirmed that the partial substitution of PDC with TDC resulted in an increased pore-limiting diameter (PLD) of MOF-303. For instance, the pristine MOF-303 exhibited a PLD of 5.78 Å, while MOF-303(70/30) with 70% TDC replacement displayed a PLD of 6.02 Å. To fabricate the mixed-linker MOF-303 membranes, we utilized a seeded growth method, which yielded membranes with dense layers, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and air permeation characterization. The prepared membranes were subjected to pervaporation tests to evaluate their performance in separating 90 wt.% ethanol at 60 °C. The pristine MOF-303 membrane exhibited notable separation capabilities, with an average flux of 0.071 kg·m−2·hr−1 and a water/ethanol separation factor of 5371. Surpassing the unmodified MOF-303, the mixed-linker MOF-303(50/50) membrane demonstrated improved mass flux and water/ethanol separation factor. Specifically, the MOF-303(50/50) membrane displayed an average flux of 0.092 kg·m−2·hr−1 and a water/ethanol separation factor of 8500. Importantly, the unmodified MOF-303 membrane exhibited instability during prolonged pervaporation operation, whereas the mixed-linker MOF-303(50/50) membrane effectively addressed this issue. Further analysis using in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and water adsorption characterization revealed that MOF-303(50/50) possessed a strong affinity for water, comparable to the pristine MOF-303. Overall, our study highlights the potential of the mixed-linker approach to optimize the separation performance and stability of MOF-based membranes for pervaporation application.

Carbonaceous nanofibrous membranes with enhanced superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity for effective purification of emulsified oily wastewater

High performance oil–water separation membranes with stable physical–chemical properties are highly desirable for the treatment of emulsified oily wastewater in various conditions. Carbonaceous nanofibrous membranes are promising due to several merits, including good thermal resistance, chemical inertness, non-toxicity, and harmlessness. However, the hydrophobicity and oleophilicity of carbon, as well as the poor mechanical property of carbon nanofibers, make it challenging to use the corresponding membrane for the separation of oil-in-water emulsions. Herein, we demonstrate a facile and effective strategy to fabricate a superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic carbonaceous nanofibrous membrane. The mechanical property and surface wettability of the membrane could be well regulated through heteroatom doping and thermal induced oxidation. As a result, the obtained carbonaceous nanofibrous membrane exhibited intriguingly durable mechanical flexibility and oil–water selective wettability, which were comparable to that of polymeric membranes. In the meanwhile, a plausible mechanism for the underwater superoleophobicity of the membrane was proposed based on a series of structural analyses and molecular dynamic simulations. With the synergy of developed pores and high oil–water selective wettability, the obtained carbonaceous nanofibrous membrane was effective for separating various oil-in-water emulsions. Moreover, the membrane, thanks to its gratifying underwater anti-oil adhesion property, could be efficiently reused after a simple process of hydraulic washing, demonstrating great potential for the purification of emulsified oily wastewater.

Carbon molecular sieve membranes for water separation in CO2 hydrogenation reactions: Effect of the carbonization temperature

Carbon membranes are a potentially attractive candidate for the in-situ removal of water vapor in CO2 hydrogenation reactions. Their hydrophilicity and pore structure can be tuned by properly adjusting the synthesis procedure. Herein, we assess the effect of the carbonization temperature (450–750 °C) on the performance of supported CMSM in terms of vapor/gas separation, in correlation with changes in their surface functionality and porous structure. FTIR spectra showed that the nature of the functional groups changes with the evolution of the carbonization step, leading to a gradual loss in hydrophilicity (i.e., OH stretching disappears at Tcarb ≥ 600 °C). The extent of water adsorption displays an optimum at Tcarb of 500 °C, with the membrane carbonized at 650 °C being the least hydrophilic. We found that the pore size distribution strongly influences the water permeance. At all Tcarb, adsorption-diffusion (AD) is the dominant transport mechanisms. However, as soon as ultra-micropores appear (Tcarb: 600–700 °C) molecular sieving (MS) contributes to an increase in the water permeance, despites a loss in hydrophilicity. At Tcarb ≥ 750 °C, MS pores disappear, causing a drop in the water permeance. Finally, the permeance of different gases (N2, H2, CO, CO2) is mostly affected by the pore size distribution, with MS being the dominant mechanism over the AD, except for CO2. However, the extent and mechanism of gas permeation drastically change as a function of the water content in the feed, indicating that gas/vapor molecules need to compete to access the pores of the membranes.

Bioinspired Dynamic Antifouling of Oil‐Water Separation Membrane by Bubble‐Mediated Shape Morphing

AbstractOil–water separation membranes easily fail to oil foulants with low surface energy and high viscosity, which severely limits these membranes’ applications in treating oily wastewater. Herein, an oil–water separation membrane by bioinspired bubble‐mediated antifouling strategy is fabricated via growing hierarchical cobalt phosphide arrays on stainless steel mesh. The as‐prepared membrane is superhydrophilic/superaerophobic and electrocatalytic for hydrogen evolution under water, which helps to rapidly generate and release abundant microbubbles surrounding the oil‐fouled region on the membrane. These microbubbles can spontaneously coalesce with the oil foulants to increase their buoyancy and warp their interface tension by morphing the oil shape. And this spontaneous coalescence also increases the kinetic energy of oil foulants resulting from the decreased bubbles’ interface energy and potential energy. The synergy of the warped interface tension, increased buoyancy, and kinetic energy drives the efficiently dynamic antifouling of this membrane. This dynamic antifouling even can remove some solid sediment such as oily sand particles that causes more serious fouling of the membrane. Thus, this membrane maintains high flux (>11920 L m−2 h−1 bar−1) in the long‐term separation of oil–water and oil–sand–water emulsions by dynamically recovering the decayed flux on demand, which exhibits great potential in treating industrial oily wastewater.

Fabrication of Photo-Responsive Mesh Membrane with Surface-Engineered Wettability for Oil-Water Separation and Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants.

A photo-responsive TiO2-coated stainless-steel mesh membrane (TiO2@SSM), possessing unique surface wettability, was fabricated. This TiO2@SSM membrane is found to be capable of separating oil and water from oily water and has the potential to carry out photocatalytic self-cleaning and/or the degradation of organic pollutants present in water. The fabrication of TiO2@SSM is quite simple: titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were spray-coated onto stainless steel microporous mesh (SSM) substrates and annealed at the temperature of 500 °C. The fabricated TiO2@SSM membrane was structurally and morphologically characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, and elemental mapping. The contact angle measurements using a goniometer showed that the fabricated TiO2@SSM membrane surface is superhydrophilic and superoleophilic in air and superoleophobic under water. This is a favorable wetting condition for the water passing oil-water separation membrane, and this water passing property of the membrane eased the common problem of the fast clogging of the membrane by oil. An oil-water separation efficiency of about 99% was achieved, when the TiO2@SSM membrane was used as the separating medium in the gravity-driven oil-water separation system, unlike the uncoated stainless steel mesh membrane, which allowed both oil and water to pass together. This confirmed that the oil-water separating functionality of the membrane is attributed to TiO2 coating on the stainless steel mesh. The photocatalytic degradation property of the TiO2@SSM membrane is an added advantage, where the membrane can be potentially used for self-cleaning of the membrane's surface and/or for water purification.

Transfer-Printed Environmental-Friendly Anisotropic Filter with Laser-Controlled Micropores for Efficient Oil/Water Separation

Water is indispensable for sustaining life on Earth. Oil–water mixtures/or emulsions from industrial waste and other sources are a serious environmental concern for both human beings and aquatic life. Specially treated meshes and textiles with opposing wettability for oil–water separation have been widely reported as a solution to this challenge. Nonetheless, such membranes are hindered by certain drawbacks, including high manufacturing costs, usage of harmful chemicals, and lack of diverse applicability. Here, we report a facile method to fabricate Janus oil–water separation membrane with a controllable pore structure that has a unique directional flux rate. The superhydrophobic (SHB) layer of the membrane is formed by transfer-printing (TP) carbon soot particles onto a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-coated paper surface. Meanwhile, a spin-coated thin layer of chitosan on the other side of the film served as a hydrophilic (SHL) and underwater oleophobic face. A pulsed laser beam is used to produce micropores with conical structures. The separation ability of the membrane for both light oil–water and heavy oil–water mixtures is thoroughly investigated. Moreover, the significance of the pore shape and the size is also elucidated. The flexible Janus membrane showed high thermal stability and ideal (i.e., 99.8%) separation efficiency. The membrane can be produced over a 151 cm2 size range. Besides having flexibility and superior performance, the fabricated membrane is environmentally friendly and economically viable. This work establishes a scalable basis for efficient and low-cost oil/water membranes from non-porous substrates.

Hydrophilic modification of PVDF membranes for oily water separation with enhanced anti‐fouling performance

AbstractThe main purpose of this work is to improve the hydrophilicity and antifouling properties of hydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) microfiltration membranes through modification. Pyrogallol (PG), polyethyleneimine (PEI), and (3‐chloropropyl) trimethoxysilane (CTS) formed a stable hydrophilic network by Michael addition/Schiff reaction in alkaline solution Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the surface chemical composition, surface and cross‐section morphology of the membrane. In addition, the properties of the membrane were tested systematically. The as‐prepared PVDF‐PG/PEI/CTS membranes showed a smaller water contact angle down to 21.1± 4.8°. The pure water flux of the modified membrane increased significantly by about 18 folds, from 377.0 ± 61.0 to 6745.0 L m−2 h−1, the separation efficiency for the four types of oil‐in‐water emulsions were all greater than 98.8%. In addition, the modified membrane showed high stability under various conditions of acidity, weak alkalinity and high salt content, showing great potential in the actual treatment of oily wastewater.

Research Progress of Water Treatment Technology Based on Nanofiber Membranes.

In the field of water purification, membrane separation technology plays a significant role. Electrospinning has emerged as a primary method to produce nanofiber membranes due to its straightforward, low cost, functional diversity, and process controllability. It is possible to flexibly control the structural characteristics of electrospun nanofiber membranes as well as carry out various membrane material combinations to make full use of their various properties, including high porosity, high selectivity, and microporous permeability to obtain high-performance water treatment membranes. These water separation membranes can satisfy the fast and efficient purification requirements in different water purification applications due to their high filtration efficiency. The current research on water treatment membranes is still focused on creating high-permeability membranes with outstanding selectivity, remarkable antifouling performance, superior physical and chemical performance, and long-term stability. This paper reviewed the preparation methods and properties of electrospun nanofiber membranes for water treatment in various fields, including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, forward osmosis, and other special applications. Lastly, various antifouling technologies and research progress of water treatment membranes were discussed, and the future development direction of electrospun nanofiber membranes for water treatment was also presented.

Mechanically-robust electrospun nanocomposite fiber membranes for oil and water separation

Mechanically-robust nanocomposite membranes have been developed via crosslinking chemistry and electrospinning technique based on the rational selection of dispersed phase materials with high Young's modulus (i.e., graphene and multiwalled carbon nanotubes) and Cassie-Baxter design and used for oil and water separation. Proper selection of dispersed phase materials can enhance the stiffness of nanocomposite fiber membranes while their length has to be larger than their critical length. Chemical modification of the dispersed phase materials with fluorochemcials and their induced roughness were critical to achieve superhydrophobocity. Surface analytic tools including goniometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were applied to characterize the superhydrophobic nanocomposite membranes. An AFM-based nanoindentation technique was used to measure quantitativly the stiffness of the nanocomposite membranes for local region and whole composites, compared with the results by a tensile test technique. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques were used to confirm composition and formation of nanocomposite membranes. These membranes demonstrated excellent oil/water separation. This work has potential application in the field of water purification and remediation.

Preparation of a Janus-polyvinylidene fluoride micro/nano fiber membrane by centrifugal spinning and investigation into its unidirectional water transfer and oil–water separation functions

Traditional oil–water separation membranes have a high energy consumption and complicated operation. To solve this problem, an asymmetric wetting polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) fiber membrane with a hydrophobic side and a hydrophilic side was prepared. Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane was grafted onto one side of a centrifugal spun PVDF fiber membrane by plasma initiation, and dopamine was sprayed on the other side of the fiber membrane. The Janus-PVDF fiber membrane prepared can separate a mixture of water and dibromoethane, a toluene–water emulsion and a mixture of n-hexane and water. The initial interception rates were 98.53% ± 1.31%, 98.52% ± 1.12% and 98.61% ± 1.23%, respectively. After five cycles of separation, the separation rates remained at 96.15% ± 1.25%, 95.02% ± 1.21% and 96.91% ± 1.42%, respectively. The Janus-PVDF fiber membrane has excellent unidirectional water transfer capability and possesses well-repeated separability. The preparation of its unique Janus structure also provides a new direction for the field of oil–water separation.

Underwater superoleophobic copper mesh coated with block nano protrusion hierarchical structure for efficient oil/water separation

Compared with monolayer nanosheet membranes, multilayer nanosheet membranes have low energy consumption and can be mass-produced for industrial applications. Herein, a multi-layer nanostructured membrane, nickel-doped brochantite/Cu(OH)2 nano protrusion structure coated copper meshes (NBCPCMs), were successfully prepared. Firstly, the surface of the copper mesh was etched by chemical oxidation to form a disordered copper hydroxide nanosheet layer. Secondly, the etched copper mesh surface was coated with nickel-controlled brochantite block-like protrusions by hydrothermal synthesis method, and nickel-doped brochantite/Cu(OH)2 nanosheets were generated by high pressure. The results showed that NBCPCM-4 had excellent hydrophilic/underwater superoleophobicity, the oil–water separation efficiency of immiscible cyclohexane/water mixture was the highest, about 98.54%, and still had a very high flux (>60 (kL/(h·m2))) after multiple cycles of separation. In addition to ultra-high separation efficiency, NBCPCM-4 also had super durability. The copper mesh maintained good underwater superoleophobicity in different aqueous solutions. Therefore, NBCPCM-4 is a potential high-efficiency and sustainable oil–water separation membrane material. It is expected that the developed technology is useful for sea transportation and marine environment management, along with other industries.

Dual-functional superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic 2D Ti3C2TX MXene-PAN membrane for efficient oil-water separation and adsorption of organic dyes in wastewater

The incorporation of two-dimensional Ti3C2TX MXene nanoflakes into polymeric membranes has piqued researchers' enthusiasm as a way to improve the effectiveness of oil–water separation membranes. Herein, we developed a simple approach for fabricating two-dimensional Ti3C2TX MXene nanoflakes on a nanofibrous PAN membrane via vacuum filtration. The superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic MXene-PAN membrane showed remarkable separation performance for a diverse range of oil–water emulsions owing to its intrinsic hydrophilicity, low oil droplet adherence and regular stacking of 2D Ti3C2TX MXene nanosheets. The ultralow oil adhesion contributed to anti-oil fouling properties and outstanding recyclability, with a flux recovery ratio of about 80%. Moreover, the membrane possessed remarkable chemical stability when exposed to corrosive environmental conditions such as acid, alkali, salty and hot water medium and could also effectively separate emulsions in hostile environments. Furthermore, the MXene-PAN membrane could effectively adsorb the organic contaminants present in the oily effluent. The exceptional dual functionality of the MXene-PAN membrane, which combines outstanding separation performance and organic dye adsorption, opens up new prospects for treating oily wastewater.

Spray‐Coating of Superhydrophobic Coatings for Advanced Applications

Superhydrophobic coatings are widely applicable, e.g., as self‐cleaning surfaces or water–oil separation membranes, yet their wider usage is impeded due to costs of fabrication, size, or substrate limitation. Spray‐coating is a versatile coating procedures and might offer a good solution for the fabrication of these superhydrophobic coatings, due to the fact that coatings can be fabricated on various materials in a simple, fast, and inexpensive manner. Most procedures rely on hybrid coatings of hydrophobized nanoparticles and a polymeric matrix, which have several drawbacks including the easy loss of nanoparticles and difficult waste handling. Here, the fabrication of the superhydrophobic material, called Fluoropor, for the first time, by spray‐coating on various substrates including metals, tissues, concrete, and glass is presented. It is fabricated by spray‐coating a mixture of a highly fluorinated monomer blended with porogens followed by photopolymerization. The superhydrophobicity of the material relies on the porous structure on the micro‐/nanoscale across the bulk material and does not require any nanoparticles. Excellent self‐cleaning ability of these coatings, resistance against thermal and abrasive impact, and their application as oil–water separation membranes are shown. This versatile applicability is highly promising for real‐world application as self‐cleaning coatings or oil–water separating membranes.

Highly hydrophobic oil—water separation membrane: reutilization of waste reverse osmosis membrane

Highly hydrophobic oil—water separation membrane: reutilization of waste reverse osmosis membrane

Post-synthetic modification of MOFs to enhance interfacial compatibility and selectivity of thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes for water purification

Efficient discrimination of ions and small neutral contaminants remains a challenge for polyamide thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) water separation membranes due to the presence of interfacial defects and particle-agglomeration-induced nonselective voids in the polyamide layer. In this work, highly selective TFN membranes were successfully fabricated by leveraging post-synthetic modifications of (3-glycidyloxypropyl)triethoxysilane (GPTES) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) on MIL-101(Cr)–NH2 MOF filler nanoparticles. GPTES modification suppresses particle agglomeration during interfacial polymerization for membrane formation by forming a stable particle suspension in the organic monomer solution, while TMC-induced in situ chemical crosslinking between filler particles and polyamide addresses the phase compatibility and interfacial issues at the filler–polyamide interface. The resulting TFN membranes show high NaCl, MgCl2, Na2SO4, and MgSO4 rejections of 99.0–99.6% at 150 psi with a water permeance of 0.9 L m−2 h−1 bar−1. Compared to the thin-film composite (TFC) control membrane, the incorporation of the MOF particles yields a 53.0% and 24.5% increase in water permeance and NaCl rejection. Importantly, the TFN membranes also exhibit excellent rejections to small neutral contaminants such as PEG200 (99.2% rejection) and boric acid (89.0% rejection at a pH value of 7.5) at a relatively low pressure of 150 psi, which is higher than the respective value obtained by the commercial Dow SW30XLE TFC control membrane at the same conditions. The outstanding long-term performance stability revealed the robust structure of the MOF TFN membranes. Our results demonstrate a facile strategy to effectively control particle agglomeration and interfacial defects in polyamide TFN membranes by manipulating the surface chemistry of the filler nanoparticles, which can be applied to the fabrication of effective TFN membranes with molecular level size-exclusion selectivity.

Highly durable and sustainable heterogeneous fabric using in-and-out fluorinated urethane coating for elimination of bacteria and oil–water separation

To address the poor oil–water separation efficiency and bactericidal properties of existing oil–water separation membranes for the treatment of industrial oily wastewater discharge, this study designed an in-and-out coating material for modifying the inner site and outer surface of porous activated carbon fabric (ACF) using urethane reactions. To this end, fluorinated polyurethane (F-PU) coating materials were synthesized using perfluoroalkyl alcohol, ethylene glycol (EG), and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI). Subsequently, the inner and outer surface of the ACF were coated with F-PU via the urethane reaction of the hydroxyl groups (–OH) of the surface of ACF and the isocyanates of F-PU. The successfully fabricated in-and-out F-PU-coated heterogeneous fabric exhibited excellent hydrophobic properties, anti-scratch performance, oil–water separation performance, and bacterial penetration blocking efficiency (>99% for gram negative and gram positive bacteria). Furthermore, the in-and-out-coated ACF exhibited high durability, and retained its bacterial penetration blocking performance after scratch tests.

Cellulosic paper-based membrane for oil-water separation enabled by papermaking and in-situ gelation

Cellulosic paper-based membranes reveal incalculable application values for oil–water separation owing to their renewability and biodegradability. In this work, a cellulosic paper-based membrane was prepared via papermaking and in-situ gelation. The porosity of the membrane can be tailored by pulp refining in papermaking to further adjust the flux of membranes. The as-prepared membrane can separate oil–water emulsion efficiently with separation efficiency > 98.5%. The membranes also showed good underwater oil repellency due to the hydration layer. Besides, the wet strength of the paper-based membranes was enhanced by micro-dissolved and in-situ gelation to suit the underwater separation process. The membrane is expected to be a low-cost, highly-efficient material for oily wastewater purification. This work demonstrates a new idea for the development of oil–water separation and papermaking, which provides a feasible strategy for large scale production of fully biodegradable oil–water separation membranes.

Mussel-Inspired Fabrication of PDA@PAN Electrospun Nanofibrous Membrane for Oil-in-Water Emulsion Separation.

Emulsified oily wastewater threatens human health seriously, and traditional technologies are unable to separate emulsion containing small sized oil droplets. Currently, oil–water emulsions are usually separated by special wettability membranes, and researchers are devoted to developing membranes with excellent antifouling performance and high permeability. Herein, a novel, simple and low-cost method has been proposed for the separation of emulsion containing surfactants. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers were prepared via electrospinning and then coated by polydopamine (PDA) by using self-polymerization reactions in aqueous solutions. The morphology, structure and oil-in-water emulsion separation properties of the as-prepared PDA@PAN nanofibrous membrane were tested. The results show that PDA@PAN nanofibrous membrane has superhydrophilicity and almost no adhesion to crude oil in water, which exhibits excellent oil–water separation ability. The permeability and separation efficiency of n-hexane/water emulsion are up to 1570 Lm−2 h−1 bar−1 and 96.1%, respectively. Furthermore, after 10 cycles of separation, the permeability and separation efficiency values do not decrease significantly, indicating its good recycling performance. This research develops a new method for preparing oil–water separation membrane, which can be used for efficient oil-in-water emulsion separation.