Electrotreated Carbon Nanotube Membranes for Facile Oil-Water Separations

Karen Adie Tankus, Liron Issman, Mikhail Stolov, Viatcheslav Freger

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Oil-contaminated effluents are widespread, yet purifying them of finely dispersed residual oil presents a significant challenge. Here we report on reactively spun carbon nanotube (CNT) mats, whose high electric conductivity is employed to irreversibly render them highly hydrophilic through electrooxidation (EO), while retaining the morphology, mesh size, conductivity, and mechanical strength of the pristine CNT material. EO treatment converts natively hydrophobic CNT mats to efficient filtration membranes, whose 30 nm mesh size favorably compromises between the hydraulic permeability and oil breakthrough pressure and allows complete and robust removal of dispersed oil (including surfactant-stabilized) down to its solubility in water.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)2057-2061
Number of pages5
JournalACS Applied Nano Materials
Volume1
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 25 May 2018

Keywords

  • electrooxidation
  • electrowetting
  • filtration membranes
  • multiwalled carbon nanotubes
  • oil-water separation

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Materials Science

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