UV-Driven Antifouling Paper Fiber Membranes for Efficient Oil–Water Separation

Oil–water separation has received much attention worldwide due to increasing oily wastewater and frequent oil leak events. Herein, a superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic membrane (PF@PDA@TiO2) is synthesized by polydopamine (PDA) anchoring TiO2 nanowires on the surface of paper fibers (PF) via vacuum-assisted filtration technology for various efficient oil–water separations. The oil contact angle underwater of PF@PDA@TiO2 is about 156°, revealing its favorable underwater superoleophobic property. Remarkably, the PF@PDA@TiO2 affords a high separation efficiency of 99%. More importantly, the PF@PDA@TiO2 displays ultraviolet-driven superior antifouling performance even after 80 cycles. We believe that the low cost and superior antifouling PF@PDA@TiO2 will provide a striking application in oil–water separation.