Strong Organic Solvents Research Articles

Ultra-Antifouling Liquid-Like Surfaces for Sustainable Viscous Water-in-Oil Emulsions Separation and Oil Recovery.

The demand for efficient separation techniques in industries dealing with high viscosity emulsions has surged due to their widespread applications in various scenarios, including emulsion-based drug delivery systems, the removal of emulsified impurities in formulations and oil spill remediation. However, membrane fouling is a major challenge for conventional separation methods, leading to decreased efficiency and increased maintenance costs. Herein, a novel approach is reported by constructing liquid-like surfaces with double anti-fouling structure, incorporating soft nanomicelles within a rigid, chemically cross-linked network for both anti-membrane-fouling and effective viscous water-in-oil emulsion separation. The coating significantly outperforms perfluorinated and commercial polytetrafluoroethylene (PVDF) membranes, effectively preventing the adhesion of viscous oils like crude oil and pump oil, and alleviating severe membrane fouling. For high-viscosity emulsions (97.3 cP and 52.8 cP), it maintains over 99% separation efficiency after 3h continuous use. Even after 15h immersion in strong acids, alkalis, salts, or organic solvents, its separation efficiency remains above 95%. In addition, thanks to the anti-membrane-fouling ability, this work achieved 6h continuous emulsion separation performance for the first time, demonstrating unparalleled long-term stability. Overall, this study offers valuable insights into the development of innovative coatings for efficient and eco-friendly separation of high-viscosity emulsions.

A Photoredox Thiol-yne Reaction for the Synthesis of Vinyl Sulfide-Based Coumarins and its Effect on Fluorescence Properties.

Coumarins still remain one of the most widely explored fluorescent dyes, with a broad spectrum of applications spanning various fields, such as molecular imaging, bioorganic chemistry, materials chemistry, or medical sciences. Their fluorescence is strongly based on a push-pull mechanism involving an electron-donating group (EDG), mainly located at the C7 or C8 positions of the dye core. Unfortunately, up to now, these positions have been very limited to hydroxyl or amino groups. In this study, we present in detail the synthesis of the first series of coumarins bearing a vinyl sulfide as the EDG at the C7 position. These derivatives were prepared by thiol-yne reaction, promoted by ruthenium- or porphyrin-based photoredox catalysis, enabling rapid late-stage diversification. We also functionalized coumarins with short peptides, and BSA protein as a proof-of-concept study, in a single-step process. This strategy, capable of proceeding under aqueous conditions, overcomes the protection/deprotection steps usually required by traditional methods, which also use strong bases and organic solvents. Moreover, the photophysical properties such as absorption and emission of obtained coumarins (for 3-CF3, 3-benzothiazole, 6-8-difluoro derivatives), predominantly exhibited large Stokes shifts (up to 204 nm) and maintained intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) characteristics.

Spark-Discharge-Activated 3D-Printed Electrochemical Sensors.

3D printing technology is a tremendously powerful technology to fabricate electrochemical sensing devices. However, current conductive filaments are not aimed at electrochemical applications and therefore require intense activation protocols to unleash a suitable electrochemical performance. Current activation methods based on (electro)chemical activation (using strong alkaline solutions and organic solvents and/or electrochemical treatments) or combined approaches are time-consuming and require hazardous chemicals and dedicated operator intervention. Here, pioneering spark-discharge-activated 3D-printed electrodes were developed and characterized, and it was demonstrated that their electrochemical performance was greatly improved by the effective removal of the thermoplastic support polylactic acid (PLA) as well as the formation of sponge-like and low-dimensional carbon nanostructures. This reagent-free approach consists of a direct, fast, and automatized spark discharge between the 3D-electrode and the respective graphite pencil electrode tip using a high-voltage power supply. Activated electrodes were challenged toward the simultaneous voltammetric determination of dopamine (DP) and serotonin (5-HT) in cell culture media. Spark discharge has been demonstrated as a promising approach for conductive filament activation as it is a fast, green (0.94 GREEnness Metric Approach), and automatized procedure that can be integrated into the 3D printing pipeline.

Recovering palladium and gold by peroxydisulfate-based advanced oxidation process.

Palladium (Pd) and gold (Au) are the most often used precious metals (PMs) in industrial catalysis and electronics. Green recycling of Pd and Au is crucial and difficult. Here, we report a peroxydisulfate (PDS)-based advanced oxidation process (AOPs) for selectively recovering Pd and Au from spent catalysts. The PDS/NaCl photochemical system achieves complete dissolution of Pd and Au. By introducing Fe(II), the PDS/FeCl2·4H2O solution functioned as Fenton-like system, enhancing the leaching efficiency without xenon (Xe) lamp irradiation. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), 18O isotope tracing experiments, and density functional theory calculations revealed that the reactive oxidation species of SO4·-, ·OH, and Fe(IV)═O were responsible for the oxidative dissolution process. Lixiviant leaching and one-step electrodeposition recovered high-purity Pd and Au. Strong acids, poisonous cyanide, and volatile organic solvents were not used during the whole recovery, which enables an efficient and sustainable precious metal recovery approach and encourage AOP technology for secondary resource recycling.

Large‐Scale Artificial Production of Coleoptera Cuticle Iridescence and Its Use in Conformal Biodegradable Coatings

In this study, bioinspired chitinous manufacturing is leveraged to artificially reproduce iridescent gratings found in the cuticles of beetles living in concealed environments. Combining this with a melanin‐like background achieves a vibrant iridescence, similar to that produced by the multilayer reflectors in leaf beetles. In this process, the controlled production of optical structures is allowed using chitinous polymers, the same components that produce color in arthropod cuticles. This not only aids in understanding the functionality and evolutionary advantages of these structures without being limited to the existing solutions in animals—which entangle the solutions for several problems with the rubble of past functionalities—but also enables the creation of color with the second most abundant organic material on Earth, only surpassed in its ubiquity by cellulose. However, unlike cellulose‐based materials, the chitinous optical structures are produced by avoiding the use of strong organic solvents, representing a simplified approach to producing vibrant, iridescent, fully biodegradable, and ecologically integrated colors. Herein, the production of hundreds of square centimeters of iridescent chitinous surfaces, a scale suitable for imparting biodegradable color to large 3D objects, is demonstrated.

Fabrication of multi-functional and breathable superhydrophobic cotton fabric based on curcumin/ZIF-8 through mild thiol-ene click chemistry reaction

Multifunctional superhydrophobic materials demonstrate remarkable performance and promising application prospects in various fields. However, there is still considerable interest in developing milder superhydrophobic modification techniques for materials. In this study, we aimed to improve the surface roughness of cotton fabric by utilizing an in-situ growth method to incorporate zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8). The fabric underwent a subsequent treatment with curcumin at room temperature, which served as a bridge for connection and provided multifunction to form a core–shell structure (curcumin/ZIF-8). Eventually, by implementing a mild thiol-ene click chemistry reaction, specifically by grafting octadecanethiol onto the C = C bond within the curcumin structure, we successfully prepared superhydrophobic modified cotton fabric known as SHCZC. The contact angle of the SHCZC material reached 168.7°, accompanied by a sliding angle of just 1°. Furthermore, SHCZC exhibited exceptional stability in harsh environments, enduring exposure to strong acids, alkalis, organic solvents, high and low temperatures, repeated washing, and abrasion. The material also demonstrated excellent thermal stability and remarkable breathability. Additionally, SHCZC possessed self-cleaning, UV-blocking, anti-fouling, antibacterial, anti-icing, and oil/water separation characteristics. The presence of these characteristics expands the potential of SHCZC beyond the field of superhydrophobic materials, positioning it as a highly advanced and versatile multifunctional material.

Optimization and purification of bioproducts from Bacillus velezensis PhCL fermentation and their potential on industrial application and bioremediation

Bioproduction is considered a promising alternative way of obtaining useful and green chemicals. However, the downstream process of biomolecules has been one of the major difficulties in upscaling the application of bioproducts due to the high purification cost. Acid precipitation is the most common method for purifying biosurfactants from the fermentation broth with high purity. However, the use of strong acids and organic solvents in solvent extraction has limited its application. Hence, in this study, a new strain of Bacillus velezensis PhCL was isolated from phenolic waste, and its production of amylase had been optimized via response surface methodology. After that, amylase and biosurfactant were purified by sequential ammonium sulfate precipitation and the result suggested that even though the purified crude biosurfactant had a lower purification fold compared to the acid precipitation, the yield was higher and both enzymes and biosurfactant also could be recovered for lowering the purification cost. Moreover, the purified amylase and crude biosurfactant were characterized and the results suggested that the purified crude biosurfactant would have a higher emulsion activity and petroleum hydrocarbon removal rate compared to traditional surfactants. This study provided another approach for purifying bioactive compounds including enzymes and biosurfactants from the same fermentation broth and further explored the potential of the crude purified biosurfactant in the bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and petroleum hydrocarbons.

Fine structural characteristics of the chorionic microspheres on the egg surface of the orb web spider Trichonephila clavata

The eggs laid by the orb web spider Trichonephila clavata must overwinter in bitterly freezing and dry conditions before hatching, but there does not seem to be any protection like a compact silk case covering the entire eggmass. Instead, the surface of the eggmass is completely coated with a milky coating called chorionic microspheres (CM). Therefore, we investigated the fine structural characteristics of CM to demonstrate their ecological importance. Although the diameter of CM in outer eggmass exhibits a significant variation, the chorionic surface is coated with a single layer of CM, characterized by a consistent diameter of approximately 2.3 µm. The surface structure of aggregated CM shows short papillary projections demonstrating segmental adhesion of mucous components. CM is insoluble in water but partially soluble in anhydrous ethanol, and its spherical structure is completely decomposed by hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP), a strong organic solvent. Since our fine structural observations clearly show that CM is not derived from vitellogenic or choriogenetic processes, the CM adhesive coatings during ovipositional process appears to be equivalent to cocoon silk for various protective functions in silken eggcase.

CVD Deposited Epoxy Copolymers as Protective Coatings for Optical Surfaces.

Copolymer thin films of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) and 2,4,6,8-tetramethyl-2,4,6,8-tetravinylcyclotetrasiloxane (V4D4) were synthesized via initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) as protective coatings for optical surfaces. Chemical durability in various solvents, corrosion resistance, adhesion to substrate, thermal resistance and optical transmittance of the films were evaluated. Crosslinked thin films exhibited high chemical resistance to strong organic solvents and excellent adhesion to substrates. Poly(GMA-co-EGDMA) and poly(GMA-co-V4D4) copolymers demonstrated protection against water (<1% thickness loss), high salt resistance (<1.5% thickness loss), and high optical transparency (~90% in visible spectrum) making them ideal coating materials for optical surfaces. Combining increased mechanical properties of GMA and chemical durability V4D4, the iCVD process provides a fast and low-cost alternative for the fabrication of protective coatings.

Facile Surface Treatment of 3D-Printed PLA Filter for Enhanced Graphene Oxide Doping and Effective Removal of Cationic Dyes

The structured adsorption filter material is one of the ways to enhance the practical applicability of powdered adsorbents, which have limitations in the real water treatment process due to difficulty in the separation process. In this study, three-dimensional (3D) printing technology was applied to prepare filter materials for water treatment processes. A 3D-printed graphene-oxide (GO)-based adsorbent is prepared on a polylactic acid (PLA) scaffold. The surface of the PLA scaffold was modified by subjecting it to strong alkaline or organic solvent treatment to enhance GO doping for realizing effective adsorption of cationic dye solutions. When subjected to 95% acetone treatment, the structural properties of PLA changed, and particularly, two main hydrophilic functional groups (carboxylic acids and hydroxyls) were newly formed on the PLA through cleavage of the ester bond of the aliphatic polyester. Owing to these changes, the roughness of the PLA surface increased, and its tensile strength decreased. Meanwhile, its surface was doped mainly with GO, resulting in approximately 75% methylene blue (MB) adsorption on the 3D-printed GO-based PLA filter. Based on the established optimal pretreatment conditions, a kinetic MB sorption study and an isotherm study were conducted to evaluate the 3D-printed GO-based PLA filter. The pseudo-second-order model yielded the best fit, and the MB adsorption was better fitted to the Langmuir isotherm. These results suggested that chemical adsorption was the main driver of the reaction, and monolayer sorption occurred on the adsorbent surface. The results of this study highlight the importance of PLA surface modification in enhancing GO doping and achieving effective MB adsorption in aqueous solutions. Ultimately, this study highlights the potential of using 3D printing technology to fabricate the components required for implementing water treatment processes.

Porous anion exchange membranes fabricated by phase inversion and in‐situ modification for acid recovery

AbstractDiffusion dialysis (DD) for acid recovery is significantly restricted by the poor acid dialysis coefficient () of anion exchange membranes (AEMs). To overcome such problem, porous AEMs with extremely high free space volume have been fabricated herein based on porous membrane substrate, drawing inspiration from the dissolution‐diffusion concept. Specifically, chloromethylated polyethersulfone (CMPES) has been used as the starting material to create the porous substrate via non‐solvent phase inversion, then in‐situ crosslinked and quaternized using ethylenediamine (EDA) and N‐methylimidazole (NMI), respectively. In this study, the degrees of modification of EDA and NMI are controlled to adjust the microstructure and DD performance of the produced porous AEMs. The ideal AEM's and acid/salt separation factor (S) are 4.3 and 2.6 times greater, respectively, than those of the commercial DF‐120 membrane at the same condition. Additionally, it shows strong organic solvent resistance and thermal stability, and therefore demonstrate the potential for widespread use.

Sandwich-Structured Surface Coating of a Silver-Decorated Electrospun Thermoplastic Polyurethane Fibrous Film for Excellent Electromagnetic Interference Shielding with Low Reflectivity and Favorable Durability.

Nowadays, high efficiency and low reflection electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials have a wide potential application of electronic fields. However, it is still challenging to achieve long-term durability under external mechanical deformations or other harsh conditions. Herein, sandwich-structured surface coatings with a mixture of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotube and magnetic ferriferous oxide nanoparticle hybrid fillers (MWCNTs-COOH/Fe3O4, MFs) are introduced onto a silver-decorated electrospun thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fibrous film to achieve both outstanding low reflective EMI shielding and favorable durability. The surface coatings not only act as an effective absorbing layer but also provide a micro-nano hierarchical superhydrophobic surface. The resultant film shows a remarkable conductivity (361.0 S/cm), an excellent EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) approaching 85.4 dB, and a low reflection coefficient value of 0.61. Interestingly, the obtained film still maintains an excellent EMI SE even after mechanical deformations or being immersed in strong acidic solution, alkaline solution, and organic solvents for 6 h. This work opens a new avenue for the design of low reflective EMI shielding films under harsh environments.

Halohydrin dehalogenase immobilization in magnetic biochar for sustainable halocarbon biodegradation and biotransformation

Regarding the fact that halohydrin dehalogenase (HHDH) displays great potential for both biotransformation and biodegradation, developing immobilized HHDH that is suitable for those applications will be of great importance. Herein, the functionalized magnetic biochar was prepared for efficient enzyme immobilization, easy separation, and reuse. The immobilized halohydrin dehalogenase (HheC) was characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the relative enzyme activity retention was 85% upon immobilization in biochar (HheC-N-MBC600). After 70 days of storage at 4 °C, the HheC-N-MBC600 retained 50% of its initial activity, while only 8% of the activity was retained for the free enzyme. HheC-N-MBC600 displayed a strong organic solvent tolerance as it retained activity above 92% after incubation in 50% organic solvent for 12 h. Moreover, the immobilized catalyst retained more than 70% activity after a consecutive 30 cycles of reuse, indicating excellent recyclability of the immobilized biocatalyst. Moreover, the immobilized enzyme displayed the same enantioselective behavior as the free enzyme. Together with the immobilized epoxide hydrolyase (EchA-MBC600), HheC-N-MBC600 completely converted 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (1,3-DCP) to a nontoxic compound. Our results showed that the immobilized HheC-N-MBC600 could be a green and industrially viable tool to degrade halogenated compounds and make useful chiral compounds.

High-Strength Collagen-Based Composite Films Regulated by Water-Soluble Recombinant Spider Silk Proteins and Water Annealing.

Spider silk has attracted extensive attention in the development of high-performance tissue engineering materials because of its excellent physical properties, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Although high-molecular-weight recombinant spider silk proteins can be obtained through metabolic engineering of host bacteria, the solubility of the recombinant protein products is always poor. Strong denaturants and organic solvents have thus had to be exploited for their dissolution, and this seriously limits the applications of recombinant spider silk protein-based composite biomaterials. Herein, through adjusting the temperature, ionic strength, and denaturation time during the refolding process, we successfully prepared water-soluble recombinant spider major ampullate spidroin 1 (sMaSp1) with different repeat modules (24mer, 48mer, 72mer, and 96mer). Then, MaSp1 was introduced into the collagen matrix for fabricating MaSp1-collagen composite films. The introduction of spider silk proteins was demonstrated to clearly alter the internal structure of the composite films and improve the mechanical properties of the collagen-based films and turn the opaque protein films into transparency ones. More interestingly, the composite film prepared with sMaSp1 exhibited better performance in mechanical strength and cell adhesion compared to that prepared with water-insoluble MaSp1 (pMaSp1), which might be attributed to the effect of the initial dissolved state of MaSp1 on the microstructure of composite films. Additionally, the molecular weight of MaSp1 was also shown to significantly influence the mechanical strength (enhanced to 1.1- to 2.3-fold) and cell adhesion of composite films, and 72mer of sMaSp1 showed the best physical properties with good bioactivity. This study provides a method to produce recombinant spider silk protein with excellent water solubility, making it possible to utilize this protein under environmentally benign, mild conditions. This paves the way for the application of recombinant spider silk proteins in the development of diverse composite biomaterials.

Carbon molecular sieve membranes with integrally skinned asymmetric structure for organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) and organic solvent reverse osmosis (OSRO)

Organic solvent nanofiltration is an energy-efficient separation process for solutes and solvents. Robust membranes that show stability in harsh environments are highly desirable. In this study, we developed free-standing integrally skinned asymmetric carbon molecular sieve membranes that synergize the advantages of stable carbon materials and porous polymer membranes. The membranes were prepared using a polyimide of intrinsic microporosity (PIM), known as 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6FDA)-3,3′-dimethylnaphthidine (DMN), via a phase inversion technique. Carbonization preserved the surface porosity and finger-like porous morphology of the membranes after structural rearrangement. The effects of pyrolysis temperature, membrane thickness, dope solution concentration, and polymer porosity on separation performance were investigated. The molecular sieving performance of the membranes was investigated using five solvents with different polarities. The membranes showed no swelling and high stability in strong acids, bases, and organic solvents, as well as an excellent rejection profile and reasonable permeance. The membrane pore size, molecular-weight cutoff, and performance were fine-tuned by controlling the pyrolysis temperature, dope solution concentration, and polymer porosity. The polymer porosity and the asymmetric structure of the membrane strongly affected the molecular sieving performance. Carbonizing porous 6FDA-DMN afforded a 10-fold higher permeance than that obtained by carbonizing nonporous 6FDA-m-phenylenediamine (mPDA). To the best of our knowledge, the developed membrane fabrication platform yielded one of the tightest, most robust, and highly solvent-resistant nanofiltration membranes reported thus far.

Polyoxometalate-modified halloysite nanotubes-based thin-film nanocomposite membrane for efficient organic solvent nanofiltration

Polyoxometalate-modified halloysite nanotubes (POM@MHNTs) were synthesized and doped into the polyamide (PA) matrix by interfacial polymerization to prepare doped POM@MHNTs thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN). Likewise, thin-film composite (TFC) and TFN membranes doped with HNTs were fabricated. It is worth noting that the methanol flux of the TFN can be efficiently enhanced by tuning the contents of POM@MHNTs. The as-synthesized optimal sample (TFN-0.10) exhibits superior methanol flux of TFN-0.10 membrane of 14.80 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 (1.76 times of that of undoped TFC membrane and 1.12 times of that of doped HNTs membrane (TFN-HNTs-0.10). These are mainly due to the tubular structure of POM@MHNTs providing additional solvent transfer channels and the ridge-valley morphology of the membrane surface increasing the contact area between the membrane and the solvent. Meanwhile, the POM@MHNTs nanohybrids are similarly electrostatically attracted by the amide groups on the polyamide chains produced by interfacial polymerization, improving the compatibility of POM@MHNTs with polyamide membranes. TFN-0.10 OSN membrane showed stable chemical properties in medium polar organic (methanol, ethanol, THF), acid polar organic (acetonitrile), and strong polar organic (DMF) solvents. Prepared TFN OSN membranes exhibited strong long-term operation capability and organic solvent resistance after 80 °C DMF immersion for 7 days with inconspicuous separation performance changes. This work offers the prospect of using organic-inorganic hybrid modified nanomaterials to improve OSN performance.

Ultralight and extra-soft fiber sponge with “marshmallow- shape” fabricated by layer-by-layer self-assembly electrospinning method

Electrospinning is an effective way to prepare two-dimensional nanofiber membranes. However, it is difficult to increase the thickness of the film by simply increasing the spinning time, thus limiting the potential applications of electrospinning. In this paper, we present a simple and stable method for preparing three-dimensional “marshmallow-shape” fiber sponges. By adding urea to the polyacrylonitrile polymer spinning solution, the humidity response of the nanofibers in the electrospinning environmental field could be enhanced, speeding up the hardening process of the nanofibers and forming a three-dimensional structure. The resulting three-dimensional “marshmallow-shaped” fiber sponge has a low bulk density (0.9 mg/cm3), good compression recovery, and good hydrophobicity (WCA = 135.6°). Moreover, good compression recovery after carbonization could be achieved by maintaining its original thickness, as well as with a strong oil-based organic solvent adsorption capacity.

Metal-free carboxyl modified g-C3N4 for enhancing photocatalytic degradation activity of organic pollutants through peroxymonosulfate activation in wastewater under solar radiation

The peroxymonosulfate-based advanced oxidation process (PMS-AOP) is widely studied as a powerful technology for organic pollutants degradation in wastewater. In this paper, an inventive one-step method utilizing potassium persulfate (KPS) as an oxidizing agent was put forward to prepare metal-free carboxyl modified graphite phase carbon nitride (g-C3N4(KPS)), which was applied to significantly activate PMS for the degradation of organic compound carbamazepine (CBZ) under solar radiation. Without strong acids and organic solvents, the process was considered green, low-cost, and facile. The characterizations showed that g-C3N4(KPS) was successfully doped with carboxyl groups on g-C3N4. Besides, •OH, 1O2, •O2− and h+ were generated in the photocatalytic system of g-C3N4(KPS)/PMS. As a result, a possible CBZ photocatalytic degradation pathway was proposed. This work not only discovered a novel method of activating PMS but also offered valuable insights for the preparation of efficient metal-free catalysts for wastewater environmental governance.

Xeno-Hybrid Bone Graft Releasing Biomimetic Proteins Promotes Osteogenic Differentiation of hMSCs.

Bone defect is a noteworthy health problem and is the second most transplanted tissue after blood. Numerous bone grafts are designed and applied in clinics. Limitations, however, from different aspects still exist, including limited supply, mechanical strength, and bioactivity. In this study, two biomimetic peptides (P2 and P6) are incorporated into a composite bioactive xeno hybrid bone graft named SmartBonePep®, with the aim to increase the bioactivity of the bone graft. The results, which include cytotoxicity, proliferation rate, confocal microscopy, gene expression, and protein qualification, successfully prove that the SmartBonePep® has multi-modal biological effects on human mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow. The effective physical entrapment of P6 into a composite xeno-hybrid bone graft, withstanding manufacturing processes including exposure to strong organic solvents and ethylene oxide sterilization, increases the osteogenic potential of the stem cells as well as cell attachment and proliferation. P2 and P6 both show a strong biological potential and may be future candidates for enhancing the clinical performance of bone grafts.

A versatile solar-powered vapor generating membrane for multi-media purification

Water evaporation driven by solar energy is an efficient, renewable, and environmentally friendly method to purify polluted or saline water. However, current solar-powered evaporation systems generally suffer from the poor stability, high materials cost, and complex fabrication processes. In this work, an inexpensive and versatile photothermal membrane (PTM) is prepared with basalt-fibers, which are prepared from natural basalt and synthesized by fiber forming and annealing. Owing to the special chemical composition and physical structure, the basalt-fiber PTM is very robust and corrosion resistant in extreme environments such as a strong acid, organic solvent, and alkali. The water evaporation processes are investigated and the floating-with-insulator mode shows the lowest heat dissipation and highest water evaporation rate. The basalt-fiber fabric is optimized by carbonization and a vaporization rate of 1.50 kg·m−2·h−1 and energy utilization efficiency of 82.5% are achieved for evaporation of pure water. The basalt-fiber PTM can be hand washed at least 30 times without efficiency deterioration and the process can be readily scaled up to address commercial needs.