Emulsion Electrospinning of Hydrophobic PTFE-PEO Composite Nanofibrous Membranes for Simple Oil/Water Separation

Abstract

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibers are widely used in the textile industry, filter media, membrane distillation, electronic appliances,and construction. In this study, PTFE–polyethylene oxide (PEO) fibrous membranes were fabricated by emulsion electrospinning; subsequently,pure PTFE nanofibers were obtained via sintering. PTFE–PEO electrospinning solutions were prepared using different weightratios to determine the optimized condition. As the ratio of the PEO increased, the fiber structure improved. Scanning electron microscopyand Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy observations indicate that PEO is removed and PTFE fused gradually to form bondsamong them during sintering. The obtained pristine PTFE membrane demonstrated hydrophobicity at 143.6° water contact angle andoleophilicity at 0° oil contact angle, which is known to be utilized for oil/water separation. A simple separation experiment was performedto remove oil droplets from water. The PTFE membrane exhibited good chemical stability and a high surface-area-to-volumenanofiber ratio. These excellent properties suggest that it is applicable to oil/water separation in harsh chemical environments.