PH-Responsive smart non-woven fabrics (NWFs) with double switchable wettability between superhydrophilicity–superhydrophobicity–superhydrophilicity to oil/water separation. (10th April 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Zhibin; Yu, Hang; Guo, Jiahong; Bai, Zhiwei; Zhang, Shiping; Zhang, Yajuan; Wang, Jikui
• Is Part Of: New journal of chemistry. Volume 43:Number 17(2019)
• Page Start: 6712
• Page End: 6720
• Publication Date: 2019-04-10
• Subjects: Chemistry -- Periodicals; Chimie -- Périodiques; 540
• DOI: 10.1039/c9nj00409b
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1144-0546

Abstract

Abstract : pH-Responsive smart non-woven fabrics (NWFs) possess double switchable wettability and excellent selectivity, separation efficiency and mechanical properties for recyclability. Abstract : pH-Responsive smart non-woven fabrics (NWFs) with double transformations were prepared via the in situ grafting of Ag nanoparticles through an oxidation–reduction reaction and were modified using a mixed thiol-molecule solution, including HS(CH2 )10 CH3, HS(CH2 )10 COOH and HS(CH2 )11 OH. A NWF continuously separates immiscible oil–water mixtures with high selectivity and has considerable flux under gravity. The wettability of NWFs with an optimal thiol concentration shows reversible switches between superhydrophilicity–superhydrophobicity–superhydrophilicity, which corresponds to different conditions such as acidic, neutral and basic. The as-prepared NWFs had great oil absorption capacities and possessed high oil–water separation efficiency. This simple approach to fabricate pH-responsive NWFs has provided a facile and versatile strategy for effectively separating oil–water mixtures, which can be further applied for water treatment, purification of solvents or fuels and so on.