Recent progress in developing advanced membranes for emulsified oil/water separation

NPG Asia Materials

Volumn 6, Issue 5, 2014, Pages

  Zhu, Yuzhang ^a,b   Wang, Dong ^a   Jiang, Lei ^c   Jin, Jian ^a  

^a SUZHOU INSTITUTE OF NANO TECH AND NANO BIONICS   (China)

^b UNIVERSITY OF CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES   (China)

^c PEKING UNIVERSITY   (China)

Author keywords

Antifouling; Filtration membrane; Hydrophilic modification; Nanomaterial based membrane; Oil water emulsion separation

Indexed keywords

CERAMIC MEMBRANES; EMULSIFICATION; MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY; MIXTURES; NANOSTRUCTURED MATERIALS; SEPARATION;

ANTIFOULING; ANTIFOULING PROPERTY; FILTRATION MEMBRANES; HIGH SEPARATION EFFICIENCY; HYDROPHILIC MODIFICATION; MEMBRANE PERFORMANCE; OIL/WATER EMULSION; ONE-DIMENSIONAL NANOMATERIALS;

MICROFILTRATION;

EID: 84901252148     PISSN: 18844049     EISSN: 18844057     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1038/am.2014.23     Document Type: Review

References (129)

1. Kajitvichyanukul, P., Hung, Y.-T. & Wang, L. K. in Handbook of Environmental Engineering, Vol 13: Membrane and Desalination Technologies (eds Wang, L. K., Chen, J. P., Hung, Y.-T. & Shammas, N. K.) 639 (The Humana Press Inc., New York, NY, USA, 2011).
2. Peterson, C. H., Rice, S. D., Short, J. W., Esler, D., Bodkin, J. L., Ballachey, B. E. & Irons, D. B. Long-term ecosystem response to the exxon valdez oil spill. Science 302, 2082-2086 (2003).
3. Paitt, J. F. P. Amderson. Response of common murres to the exxon valdez oil spill and long-term change in the Gulf of Alaska marine ecosystem. Am. Fish. Soc. Symp. 18, 720-737 (1996).
4. Oki, T. & Kanae, S. Global hydrological cycles and world water resources. Science 313, 1068-1072 (2006).
5. Shannon, M. A., Bohn, P. W., Elimelech, M., Georgiadis, J. G., Marinas, B. J. & Mayes, A. M. Science and technology for water purification in the coming decades. Nature 452, 301-310 (2008).
6. Iglesias, A., Garrote, L., Flores, F. & Moneo, M. Challenges to manage the risk of water scarcity and climate change in the mediterranean. Water Resour. Manag. 21, 775-788 (2007).
7. Cheryan, M. Microfiltration and Ultrafiltration Handbook (Technomic Publishing, Lancaster, PA, USA, 1998).
8. Mairal, A. P., Ng, A., Wijmans, J. G., Pinnau, I. & Ly, J. H. Treatment of Shipboard-Generated Oily Wastewaters (US Patent 7018, 539, 2006).
9. Cheryan, M. & Rajagopalan, N. Membrane processing of oily streams: wastewater treatment and waste reduction. J. Membr. Sci. 151, 13-28 (1998).
10. Al-Shamrania, A. A., Jamesa, A. & Xiao, H. Destabilisation of oil-water emulsions and separation by dissolved air flotation. Water Resour. 36, 1503-1512 (2002).
11. Rubio, J., Souza, M. L. & Smith, R. W. Overview of flotation as a wastewater treatment technique. Miner. Eng. 15, 139-155 (2002).
12. Adebajo, M. O., Frost, R. L., Kloprogge, J. T., Carmody, O. & Kokot, S. Porous materials for oil spill cleanup: a review of synthesis and absorbing properties. J. Porous Mater. 10, 159-170 (2003).
13. Ahmad, A. L., Majid, M. A. & Ooi, B. S. Functionalized PSf/SiO2 nanocomposite membrane for oil-in-water emulsion separation. Desalination 268, 266-269 (2011).
14. Ríos, G., Pazos, C. & Coca, J. Destabilization of cutting oil emulsions using inorganic salts as coagulants. Colloids Surf. A 138, 383-389 (1998).
15. Ichikawa, T. Electrical demulsification of oil-in-water emulsion. Colloids Surf. A 302, 581-586 (2007).
16. Kwon, G., Kota, A. K., Li, Y. X., Sohani, A., Mabry, J. M. & Tuteja, A. On-demand separation of oil-water mixtures. Adv. Mater. 24, 3666-3671 (2012).
17. Drioli, E. & Romano, M. Progress and new perspectives on integrated membrane operations for sustainable industrial growth. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 40, 1277-1300 (2001).
18. Elimelech, M. & Phillip, W. A. The future of seawater desalination: energy, technology, and the environment. Science 333, 712-717 (2011).
19. Song, L. F. Flux decline in crossflow microfiltration and ultrafiltration: mechanisms and modeling of membrane fouling. J. Membr. Sci. 139, 183-200 (1998).
20. Kong, J. & Li, K. Oil removal from oil-in-water emulsions using PVDF membranes. Sep. Purif. Technol. 16, 83-93 (1999).
21. Belkacem, M., Matamoros, H., Cabassud, C., Aurelle, Y. & Cotteret, J. New results in metal working wastewater treatment using membrane technology. J. Membr. Sci. 106, 195-205 (1995).
22. Mansouri, J., Harrisson, S. & Chen, V. Strategies for controlling biofouling in membrane filtration systems: challenges and opportunities. J. Mater. Chem. 20, 4567-4586 (2010).
23. Li, Y. S., Yan, L., Xiang, C. B. & Hong, L. J. Treatment of oily wastewater by organic-inorganic composite tubular ultrafiltration (UF) membranes. Desalination 196, 76-83 (2006).
24. Scholz, W. & Fuchs, W. Treatment of oil contaminated wastewater in a membrane bioreactor. Water Resour. 34, 3621-3629 (2000).
25. Yi, X. S., Yu, S. L., Shi, W. X., Sun, N., Jin, L. M., Wang, S., Zhang, B., Ma, C. & Sun, L. P. The influence of important factors on ultrafiltration of oil/water emulsion using PVDF membrane modified by nano-sized TiO2/Al2O3. Desalination 281, 179-184 (2011).
26. Yang, Y. N., Zhang, H. X., Wang, P., Zheng, Q. Z. & Li, J. The influence of nano-sized TiO2 fillers on the morphologies and properties of PSF UF membrane. J. Membr. Sci. 288, 231-238 (2007).
27. Rana, D. & Matsuura, T. Surface modifications for antifouling membranes. Chem. Rev. 110, 2448-2471 (2010).
28. van den Witte, P., Dijkstra, P. J., van den Berg, J. W. A. & Feijen, J. Phase separation processes in polymer solutions in relation to membrane formation. J. Membr. Sci. 117, 1-31 (1996).
29. Chakrabarty, B., Ghoshal, A. K. & Purkait, M. K. Ultrafiltration of stable oil-in-water emulsion by polysulfone membrane. J. Membr. Sci. 325, 427-437 (2008).
30. Hyun, J., Jang, H., Kim, K., Na, K. & Tak, T. Restriction of biofouling in membrane filtration using a brush-like polymer containing oligoethylene glycol side chains. J. Membr. Sci. 282, 52-59 (2006).
31. Hashim, N. A., Liu, F. & Li, K. A simplified method for preparation of hydrophilic PVDF membranes from an amphiphilic graft copolymer. J. Membr. Sci. 345, 134-141 (2009).
32. Asatekin, A. & Mayes, A. M. Oil industry wastewater treatment with fouling resistant membranes containing amphiphilic comb copolymers. Environ. Sci. Technol. 43, 4487-4492 (2009).
33. Shi, Q., Su, Y. L., Zhao, W., Li, C., Hu, Y. H., Jiang, Z. Y. & Zhu, S. P. Zwitterionic polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membrane with superior antifouling property. J. Membr. Sci. 319, 271-278 (2008).
34. Nunes, S. P., Sforqa, M. L. & Peinemann, K. V. Dense hydrophilic composite membranes for ultrafiltration. J. Membr. Sci. 106, 49-56 (1995).
35. Sagle, A. C., Wagner, E. M. V., Ju, H., McCloskey, B. D., Freeman, B. D. & Sharma, M. M. PEG-coated reverse osmosis membranes: desalination properties and fouling resistance. J. Membr. Sci. 340, 92-108 (2009).
36. Liu, F., Hashim, N. A., Liu, Y. T., Abed, M. R. M. & Li, K. Progress in the production and modification of PVDF membranes. J. Membr. Sci. 375, 1-27 (2011).
37. Marchese, J., Ponce, M., Ochoa, N. A., Prádanos, P., Palacio, L. & Hernández, A. Fouling behaviour of polyethersulfone UF membranes made with different PVP. J. Membr. Sci. 211, 1-11 (2003).
38. Idris, A., Zain, N. M. & Noordin, M. Y. Synthesis, characterization and performance of asymmetric polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration membranes with polyethylene glycol of different molecular weights as additives. Desalination 207, 324-339 (2007).
39. Smolders, C. A., Reuvers, A. J., Boom, R. M. & Wienk, I. M. Microstructures in phase-inversion membranes. Part 1. Formation of macrovoids. J. Membr. Sci. 73, 259-275 (1992).
40. Yuliwati, E. & Ismail, A. F. Effect of additives concentration on the surface properties and performance of PVDF ultrafiltration membranes for refinery produced wastewater treatment. Desalination 273, 226-243 (2011).
41. Nunes, S. P. & Peinemann, K. V. Ultrafiltration membranes from PVDF/PMMA blends. J. Membr. Sci. 73, 25-35 (1992).
42. Ochoa, N. A., Masuelli, M. & Marchese, J. Effect of hydrophilicity on fouling of an emulsified oil wastewater with PVDF/PMMA membranes. J. Membr. Sci. 226, 203-211 (2003).
43. Masuelli, M., Marchese, J. & Ochoa, N. A. SPC/PVDF membranes for emulsified oily wastewater treatment. J. Membr. Sci. 326, 688-693 (2009).
44. Bowen, W. R., Cheng, S. Y., Doneva, T. A. & Oatley, D. L. Manufacture and characterisation of polyetherimide/sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) blend membranes. J. Membr. Sci. 250, 1-10 (2005).
45. Hester, J. F. & Mayes, A. M. Design and performance of foul-resistant poly(vinylidene fluoride) membranes prepared in a single-step by surface segregation. J. Membr. Sci. 202, 119-135 (2002).
46. Akthakul, A., Salinaro, R. F. & Mayes, A. M. Antifouling polymer membranes with subnanometer size selectivity. Macromolecules 37, 7663-7668 (2004).
47. Asatekin, A., Kang, S., Elimelech, M. & Mayes, A. M. Anti-fouling ultrafiltration membranes containing polyacrylonitrile-graft-poly(ethylene oxide) comb copolymer additives. J. Membr. Sci. 298, 136-146 (2007).
48. Hester, J. F., Banerjee, P. & Mayes, A. M. Preparation of protein-resistant surfaces on poly(vinylidene fluoride) membranes via surface segregation. Macromolecules 32, 1643-1650 (1999).
49. Wang, Y. Q., Wang, T., Su, Y. L., Peng, F. B., Wu, H. & Jiang, Z. Y. Remarkable reduction of irreversible fouling and improvement of the permeation properties of poly(ether sulfone) ultrafiltration membranes by blending with Pluronic F127. Langmuir 21, 11856-11862 (2005).
50. Revanur, R., McCloskey, B., Breitenkamp, K., Freeman, B. D. & Emrick, T. Reactive amphiphilic graft copolymer coatings applied to poly(vinylidene fluoride) ultrafiltration membranes. Macromolecules 40, 3624-3630 (2007).
51. Zhao, Y. H., Zhu, B. K., Kong, L. & Xu, Y. Y. Improving hydrophilicity and protein resistance of poly(vinylidene fluoride) membranes by blending with amphiphilic hyperbranched-star polymer. Langmuir 23, 5779-5786 (2007).
52. Chen, W. J., Su, Y. L., Peng, J. M., Dong, Y. N., Zhao, X. T. & Jiang, Z. Y. Engineering a robust, versatile amphiphilic membrane surface through forced surface segregation for ultralow flux-decline. Adv. Func. Mater. 21, 191-198 (2011).
53. Chen, W. J., Su, Y. L., Peng, J. M., Zhao, X. T., Jiang, Z. Y., Dong, Y. N., Zhang, Y., Liang, Y. G. & Liu, J. Z. Efficient wastewater treatment by membranes through constructing tunable antifouling membrane surfaces. Environ. Sci. Technol. 45, 6545-6552 (2011).
54. Zhu, X. Y., Loo, H. E. & Bai, R. B. A novel membrane showing both hydrophilic and oleophobic surface properties and its non-fouling performances for potential water treatment applications. J. Membr. Sci. 436, 47-56 (2013).
55. Yan, L., Li, Y. S. & Xiang, C. B. Preparation of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (pvdf) ultrafiltration membrane modified by nano-sized alumina (Al2O3) and its antifouling research. Polymer (Guildf) 46, 7701-7706 (2005).
56. Yan, L. & Li, Y. S. et al. Effect of nano-sized Al2O3-particle addition on PVDF ultrafiltration membrane performance. J. Membr. Sci. 276, 162-167 (2006).
57. Chen, W. J., Su, Y. L., Zhang, L., Shi, Q., Peng, J. M. & Jiang, Z. Y. In situ generated silica nanoparticles as pore-forming agent for enhanced permeability of cellulose acetate membranes. J. Membr. Sci. 348, 75-83 (2010).
58. Zhang, Y. Q., Shan, L. B., Tu, Z. Y. & Zhang, Y. H. Preparation and characterization of novel Ce-doped nonstoichiometric nanosilica/polysulfone composite membranes. Sep. Purif. Technol. 63, 207-212 (2008).
59. Xu, F. J., Zhao, J. P., Kang, E. T., Neoh, K. G. & Li, J. Functionalization of Nylon membranes via surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization. Langmuir 23, 8585-8592 (2007).
60. Zhu, L. P., Dong, H. B., Wei, X. Z., Yi, Z., Zhu, B. K. & Xu, Y. Y. Tethering hydrophilic polymer brushes onto PPESK membranes via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. J. Membr. Sci. 320, 407-415 (2008).
61. Wavhal, D. S. & Fisher, E. R. Hydrophilic modification of polyethersulfone membranes by low temperature plasma-induced graft polymerization. J. Membr. Sci. 209, 255-269 (2002).
62. Ulbricht, M. & Belfort, G. Surface modification of ultrafiltration membranes by low temperature plasma II. Graft polymerization onto polyacrylonitrile and polysulfone. J. Membr. Sci. 111, 193-215 (1996).
63. Yu, H. J., Cao, Y. M., Kang, G. D., Liu, J. H., Li, M. & Yuan, Q. Enhancing antifouling property of polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane by grafting zwitterionic copolymer via UV-initiated polymerization. J. Membr. Sci. 342, 6-13 (2009).
64. Shim, J. K., Na, H. S., Lee, Y. M., Huh, H. & Nho, Y. C. Surface modification of polypropylene membranes by g-ray induced graft copolymerization and their solute permeation characteristics. J. Membr. Sci. 190, 215-226 (2001).
65. Liu, F., Du, C. H., Zhu, B. K. & Xu, Y. Y. Surface immobilization of polymer brushes onto porous poly(vinylidene fluoride) membrane by electron beam to improve the hydrophilicity and fouling resistance. Polymer (Guildf) 48, 2910-2918 (2007).
66. Belfer, S., Fainshtain, R., Purinson, Y., Gilron, J., Nyström, M. & Mänttäri, M. Modification of NF membrane properties by in situ redox initiated graft polymerization with hydrophilic monomers. J. Membr. Sci. 239, 55-64 (2004).
67. Rahimpour, A., Madaeni, S. S., Zereshki, S. & Mansourpanah, Y. Preparation and characterization of modified nano-porous PVDF membrane with high antifouling property using UV photo-grafting. Appl. Surf. Sci. 225, 7455-7461 (2009).
68. Zhu, Y. Z., Zhang, F., Wang, D., Pei, X. F., Zhang, W. B. & Jin, J. A novel zwitterionic polyelectrolyte grafted PVDF membrane for thoroughly separating oil from water with ultrahigh efficiency. J. Mater. Chem. A 1, 5758-5765 (2013).
69. Zhao, X. T., Su, Y. L., Chen, W. J., Peng, J. M. & Jiang, Z. Y. Grafting perfluoroalkyl groups onto polyacrylonitrile membrane surface for improved fouling release property. J. Membr. Sci. 415-146, 824-834 (2012).
70. Kasemset, S., Lee, A., Miller, D. J., Freeman, B. D. & Sharma, M. M. Effect of polydopamine deposition conditions on fouling resistance, physical properties, and permeation properties of reverse osmosis membranes in oil/water separation. J. Membr. Sci. 425-426, 208-216 (2013).
71. Ju, H., McCloskey, B. D., Sagle, A. C., Wu, Y. H., Kusuma, V. A. & Freeman., B. D. Crosslinked poly(ethylene oxide) fouling resistant coating materials for oil/water separation. J. Membr. Sci. 307, 260-267 (2008).
72. Yoon, K., Hsiao, B. S. & Chu, B. High flux ultrafiltration nanofibrous membranes based on polyacrylonitrile electrospun scaffolds and crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol coating. J. Membr. Sci. 338, 145-152 (2009).
73. Yoon, K., Kim, K., Wang, X. F., Fang, D. F., Hsiao, B. S. & Chu, B. High flux ultrafiltration membranes based on electrospun nanofibrous PAN scaffolds and chitosan coating. Polymer (Guildf) 47, 2434-2441 (2006).
74. Lee, H., Dellatore, S. M., Miller, W. M. & Messersmith, P. B. Mussel-inspired surface chemistry for multifunctional coatings. Science 318, 426-430 (2007).
75. Yang, H. W., Lan, Y., Zhu, W., Li, W. N., Xu, D., Cui, J. C., Shen, D. Z. & Li, G. T. Polydopamine-coated nanofibrous mats as a versatile platform for producing porous functional membranes. J. Mater. Chem. 22, 16994-17001 (2012).
76. Kang, S. M., You, I., Cho, W. K., Shon, H. K., Lee, T. G., Choi, I. S., Karp, J. M. & Lee, H. One-step modification of superhydrophobic surfaces by a mussel-inspired polymer coating. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 49, 9401-9404 (2010).
77. Cui, J. W., Yan, Y., Such, G. K., Liang, K., Ochs, C. J., Postma, A. & Caruso, F. Immobilization and intracellular delivery of an anticancer drug using mussel-inspired polydopamine capsules. Biomacromolecules 13, 2225-2228 (2012).
78. Wang, X. F., Zhang, K., Yang, Y., Wang, L. L., Zhou, Z., Zhu, M. F., Hsiao, B. S. & Chu, B. Development of hydrophilic barrier layer on nanofibrous substrate as composite membrane via a facile route. J. Membr. Sci. 356, 110-116 (2010).
79. Wang, X. F., Chen, X. M., Yoon, K., Fang, D. F., Hsiao, B. S. & Chu, B. High flux filtration medium based on nanofibrous substrate with hydrophilic nanocomposite coating. Environ. Sci. Technol. 39, 7684-7691 (2005).
80. Ma, H. Y., Yoon, K., Rong, L. X., Mao, Y. M., Mo, Z. R., Fang, D. F., Hollander, Z., Gaiteri, J., Hsiao, B. S. & Chu, B. High flux thin film nanofibrous composite ultrafiltration membranes containing cellulose barrier layer. J. Mater. Chem. 20, 4692-4704 (2010).
81. You, H., Yang, Y., Li, X., Zhang, K., Wang, X. F., Zhu, M. F. & Hsiao, B. S. Low pressure high flux thin film nanofibrous composite membranes prepared by electrospraying technique combined with solution treatment. J. Membr. Sci. 394-395, 241-247 (2012).
82. McCloskey, B. D., Ju, H. & Freeman, B. D. Composite membranes based on a selective chitosan-poly(ethylene glycol) hybrid layer: synthesis, characterization, and performance in oil-water purification. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 49, 366-373 (2010).
83. Kota, A. K., Kwon, G., Choi, W., Mabry, J. M. & Tuteja, A. Hygro-responsive membranes for effective oil-water separation. Nat. Comm. 3, 1025 (2012).
84. Feng, X. J. & Jiang, L. Design and creation of superwetting/ antiwetting surfaces. Adv. Mater. 18, 3036-3078 (2006).
85. Wenzel, R. N. Resistance of solid surfaces to wetting by water. In. Eng. Chem. 28, 988-994 (1936).
86. Wen, Q., Di, J. C., Jiang, L., Yu, J. H. & Xu, R. R. Zeolite-coated mesh film for efficient oil-water separation. Chem. Sci. 4, 591-595 (2013).
87. Zhang, J. P. & Seeger, S. Polyester materials with superwetting silicone nanofilaments for oil/water separation and selective oil absorption. Adv. Func. Mater. 21, 4699-4704 (2011).
88. Cao, Y. Z., Zhang, X. Y., Tao, L., Li, K., Xue, Z. X., Feng, L. & Wei, Y. Mussel-inspired chemistry and michael addition reaction for efficient oil/water separation. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 5, 4438-4442 (2013).
89. Feng, L., Zhang, Z. Y., Mai, Z. H., Ma, Y. M., Liu, B. Q., Jiang, L. & Zhu, D. B. A superhydrophobic and super-oleophilic coating mesh film for the separation of oil and water. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 43, 2012-2014 (2004).
90. Gao, C. R., Sun, Z. X., Li, K., Chen, Y. N., Cao, Y. Z., Zhang, S. Y. & Feng, L. Integrated oil separation and water purification by a double-layer TiO2-based mesh. Energy Environ. Sci. 6, 1147-1151 (2013).
91. Kim, B. S. & Harriott, P. Critical entry pressure for liquids in hydrophobic membranes. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 115, 1-8 (1987).
92. Xue, Z. X., Wang, S. T., Lin, L., Chen, L., Liu, M. J., Feng, L. & Jiang, L. A novel superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic hydrogel-coated mesh for oil/water separation. Adv. Mater. 23, 4270-4273 (2011).
93. Zhang, W. B., Shi, Z., Zhang, F., Liu, X., Jin, J. & Jiang, L. Superhydrophobic and superoleophilic PVDF membranes for effective separation of water-in-oil emulsions with high flux. Adv. Mater. 25, 2071-2076 (2013).
94. Benfer, S., Popp, U., Richter, H., Siewert, C. & Tomandl, G. Development and characterization of ceramic nanofiltration membranes. Sep. Purif. Technol. 22-23, 231-237 (2001).
95. Yoshino, Y., Suzuki, T., Nair, B. N., Taguchi, H. & Itoh, N. Development of tubular substrates, silica based membranes and membrane modules for hydrogen separation at high temperature. J. Membr. Sci. 267, 8-17 (2005).
96. Faibish, R. S. & Cohen, Y. Fouling and rejection behavior of ceramic and polymermodified ceramic membranes for ultrafiltration of oil-in-water emulsions and microemulsions. Colloids Surf. A 191, 27-40 (2001).
97. Faibish, R. S. & Cohen, Y. Fouling-resistant ceramic-supported polymer membranes for ultrafiltration of oil-in-water microemulsions. J. Membr. Sci. 185, 129-143 (2001).
98. Meng, T., Xie, R., Ju, X. J., Cheng, C. J., Wang, S., Li, P. F., Liang, B. & Chu, L. Y. Nano-structure construction of porous membranes by depositing nanoparticles for enhanced surface wettability. J. Membr. Sci. 427, 63-72 (2013).
99. Hua, F. L., Tsang, Y. F., Wang, Y. J., Chan, S. Y., Chua, H. & Sin, S. N. Performance study of ceramic microfiltration membrane for oily wastewater treatment. Chem. Eng. J. 128, 169-175 (2007).
100. Yang, C., Zhang, G. S., Xu, N. P. & Shi, J. Preparation and application in oil-water separation of ZrO2/a-Al2O3 MF membrane. J. Membr. Sci. 142, 235-243 (1998).
101. Cui, J. Y., Zhang, X. F., Liu, H. O., Liu, S. Q. & Yeung, K. L. Preparation and application of zeolite/ceramic microfiltration membranes for treatment of oil contaminated water. J. Membr. Sci. 325, 420-426 (2008).
102. Benito, J. M., Conesa, A., Rubio, F. & Rodríguez, M. A. Preparation and characterization of tubular ceramic membranes for treatment of oil emulsions. J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 25, 1895-1903 (2005).
103. Zhou, J. E., Chang, Q. B., Wang, Y. Q., Wang, J. M. & Meng, G. Y. Separation of stable oil-water emulsion by the hydrophilic nano-sized ZrO2 modified Al2O3 microfiltration membrane. Sep. Purif. Technol. 75, 243-248 (2010).
104. Hyun, S. H. & Kim, G. T. Synthesis of ceramic microfiltration membranes for oil/water separation. Sep. Sci. Technol. 32, 2927-2943 (1997).
105. Mittal, P., Jana, S. & Mohanty, K. Synthesis of low-cost hydrophilic ceramic- polymeric composite membrane for treatment of oily wastewater. Desalination 282, 54-62 (2011).
106. Zhong, J., Sun, X. J. & Wang, C. L. Treatment of oily wastewater produced from refinery processes using flocculation and ceramic membrane filtration. Sep. Purif. Technol. 32, 93-98 (2003).
107. Srijaroonrat, P., Julien, E. & Aurelle, Y. Unstable secondary oil/water emulsion treatment using ultrafiltration: fouling control by backflushing. J. Membr. Sci. 159, 11-20 (1999).
108. Vasanth, D., Pugazhenthi, G. & Uppaluri, R. Fabrication and properties of low cost ceramic microfiltration membranes for separation of oil and bacteria from its solution. J. Membr. Sci. 379, 154-163 (2011).
109. Zhong, Z. X., Xing, W. H. & Zhang, B. B. Fabrication of ceramic membranes with controllable surface roughness and their applications in oil/water separation. Ceramics Int. 39, 4355-4361 (2013).
110. Hirose, M., Ito, H. & Kamiyama, Y. Effect of skin layer surface structures on the flux behaviour of RO membranes. J. Membr. Sci. 121, 209-215 (1996).
111. Vrijenhoek, E. M., Hong, S. & Elimelech, M. Influence of membrane surface properties on initial rate of colloidal fouling of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes. J. Membr. Sci. 188, 115-128 (2001).
112. Baker, R.W. in Membrane Technology and Applications. 2nd edn, 8 (Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, USA, 2004).
113. Peng, X. S., Jin, J., Nakamura, Y., Ohno, T. & Ichinose, I. Ultrafast permeation of water through protein-based membranes. Nat. Nanotechnol. 4, 353-357 (2009).
114. Striemer, C. C., Gaborski, T. R., McGrath, J. L. & Fauchet, P. M. Charge- and sizebased separation of macromolecules using ultrathin silicon membranes. Nature 445, 749-753 (2007).
115. Brady-Estévez, A. S., Kang, S. & Elimelech, M. A single walled carbon nanotube filter for removal of viral and bacterial pathogens. Small 4, 481-484 (2008).
116. Shi, Z., Zhang, W. B., Zhang, F., Liu, X., Wang, D., Jin, J. & Jiang, L. Ultrafast separation of emulsified oil/water mixtures by ultrathin free-standing single-walled carbon nanotube network films. Adv. Mater. 25, 2422-2427 (2013).
117. Peng, X. S., Jin, J., Ericsson, E. M. & Ichinose, I. General method for ultrathin free-standing films of nanofibrous composite materials. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129, 8625-8633 (2007).
118. Wu, Z. C., Chen, Z. H., Du, X., Logan, J. M., Sippel, J., Nikolou, M., Kamaras, K., Reynolds, J. R., Tanner, D. B., Hebard, A. F. & Rinzler, A. G. Transparent, conductive carbon nanotube films. Science 305, 1273-1276 (2004).
119. Zhang, X. W., Du, A. J. H., Lee, P. F., Sun, D. D. & Leckie, James O. TiO2 nanowire membrane for concurrent filtration and photocatalytic oxidation of humic acid in water. J. Membr. Sci. 313, 44-51 (2008).
120. Dvir, T., Timko, B. P., Kohane, D. S. & Langer, R. Nanotechnological strategies for engineering complex tissues. Nat. Nanotechnol. 6, 13-22 (2010).
121. Lee, S. W., Kim, B. S., Chen, S., Horn, Y. S. & Hammond, P. T. Layer-by-layer assembly of all carbon nanotube ultrathin films for electrochemical applications. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 131, 671-679 (2009).
122. Liang, H. W., Cao, X., Zhou, F., Cui, C. H., Zhang, W. J. & Yu, S. H. A free-standing Pt-nanowire membrane as a highly stable electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction. Adv. Mater. 23, 1467-1471 (2011).
123. Long, Y., Hui, J. F., Wang, P. P., Xiang, G. L., Xu, B., Hu, S., Zhu, W. C., Lu, X. Q., Zhuang, J. & Wang, X. Hydrogen bond nanoscale networks showing switchable transport performance. Sci. Rep. 2, 612 (2012).
124. Zhang, F., Zhang, W. B., Shi, Z., Wang, D., Jin, J. & Jiang, L. Nanowire-haired inorganic membranes with superhydrophilicity and underwater ultralow adhesive superoleophobicity for high-efficiency oil/water separation. Adv. Mater. 25, 4192-4198 (2013).
125. Fornasiero, F., Park, H. G., Holt, J. K., Stadermann, M., Grigoropoulos, C. P., Noy, A. & Bakajin, O. Ion exclusion by sub-2-nm carbon nanotube pores. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 105, 17250-17255 (2008).
126. Holt, J. K., Park, H. G., Wang, Y. M., Stadermann, M., Artyukhin, A. B., Grigoropoulos, C. P., Noy, A. & Bakajin, O. Fast mass transport through sub-2-nanometer carbon nanotubes. Science 312, 1034-1037 (2006).
127. Corry, B. Designing carbon nanotube membranes for efficient water desalination. J. Phys. Chem. B 112, 1427-1434 (2008).
128. Chan, W. F., Chen, H. Y., Surapathi, A., Taylor, M. G., Shao, X. H., Marand, E. & Johnson, J. K. Zwitterion functionalized carbon nanotube/polyamide nanocomposite membranes for water desalination. ACS Nano 7, 5308-5319 (2013).
129. Kalra, A., Garde, S. & Hummer, G. Osmotic water transport through carbon nanotube membranes. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 100, 10175-10180 (2003).