Durable and Robust Self-Healing Superhydrophobic Co-PDMS@ZIF-8-Coated MWCNT Films for Extremely Efficient Emulsion Separation

The discharge of large amounts of sewage has caused enormous damage to the environment and human health. There is an urgent need for efficient and environmentally friendly materials to deal with such troubles. Materials with emulsion separation have attracted everyone’s attention. In this study, zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-8- and Co-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-modified multiwalled carbon nanotube films were fabricated. First, the surface of the nanotube films was modified with ZIF-8 by in situ growth, and then a Co-PDMS layer was added by dip coating. The membrane has excellent wettability, and it is superhydrophobic and superoleophilic in air. The separation efficiency of water-in-oil emulsions reaches more than 99.9%, and it has an outstanding separation ability for corrosive emulsions. Moreover, the membrane has an excellent self-healing ability, and it can rapidly heal at normal temperature after being damaged. This makes the film more suitable for practical oily wastewater treatment. We performed related research and propose a possible self-healing mechanism.