Beetle-inspired single-feed and dual-phase segregated oil-water separation strategy with interdigital Janus microfiber membrane

作者：Wenbin Jin, Yao Zhang, Hai Wan, Liang Yuan, Shuohan Huang, Yuwei Chen, Peng Wei, Qun Shao, Yanping Wang, Yong He, Yumin Xia · 发表于：Journal of Membrane Science · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.memsci.2025.124665 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity、Electrohydrodynamics and Fluid Dynamics、Pickering emulsions and particle stabilization

The development of conventional oil-water separation systems faces fundamental challenges rooted in the monofunctional affinity — specific hydrophilicity or lipophilicity, and modifying conditions, significantly impeding the separation of various oil/water mixtures. Bio-inspired by a beetle's hydrophilic and hydrophobic architecture for water-capturing, an innovative single-feed and dual-phase segregated separation strategy in this research was developed through controlled mechanical grinding polymer fibers, yielding two microfiber domains and a Janus boundary —holding opposite and complementary Janus wettability. Subsequently, an interdigital Janus microfiber membrane (IJMM) was engineered through a filtration deposition to integrate two wettability microfiber domains, achieving universal coverage of the Janus boundary on the membrane surface. Remarkably, the IJMM completed exceptional efficiency in the continuous single-feed and dual-phase segregated separation of the three-phase system involving light oil, water, and heavy oil, achieving separation efficiencies of 94.0 ± 1.1 % (light oil), 96.7 ± 1.5 % (water), and 93.0 ± 2.2 % (heavy oil) without modifying conditions. Notably, a mixed oil (MO) with a density comparable to water was formulated for oil-water separation with 98.0 ± 0.5 % for water and 96.8 % ± 0.6 % for MO separation efficiencies, which replicated the non-stratified conditions. Consequently, this work establishes a membrane via integrating two opposite and c...