Crude-Oil-Repellent Membranes by Atomic Layer Deposition: Oxide Interface Engineering.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30107114.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acsnano.8b04632.
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Abstract
Crude oil fouling on membrane surfaces is a persistent, crippling challenge in oil spill remediation and oilfield wastewater treatment. In this research, we present how a nanosized oxide coating can profoundly affect the anti-crude-oil property of membrane materials. Select oxide coatings with a thickness of ∼10 nm are deposited conformally on common polymer membrane surfaces by atomic layer deposition to significantly mitigate fouling during filtration processes. TiO<sub>2</sub>- and SnO<sub>2</sub>-coated membranes exhibited far greater anti-crude-oil performance than ZnO- and Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>-coated ones. Tightly bound hydration layers play a crucial role in protecting the surface from crude oil adhesion, as revealed by molecular dynamics simulations. This work provides a facile strategy to fabricate crude-oil-resistant membranes with negligible impact on membrane structure, and also demonstrates that, contrary to common belief, excellent crude oil resistance can be achieved easily without implementation of sophisticated, hierarchical structures.