Ultra-High Flux and Harsh-Condition-Resistant Oil/Water Separation via Fluorinated PDMS-Functionalized Carbon Cloth

Recent advances in membrane separation technologies have demonstrated significant potential for the efficient removal of oil from wastewater. Nevertheless, the treatment of oily wastewater often encounters harsh operational conditions, including elevated temperatures, extreme acidic or alkaline environments, and severe mechanical abrasion. To address these challenges, this study reports the successful fabrication of a fluorinated polydimethylsiloxane-modified carbon cloth (CC-PDMS-F), which exhibits robust resistance to diverse extreme environments while maintaining high separation performance. The CC-PDMS-F membrane exhibits a high separation efficiency of 97.62%, accompanied by a permeation flux on the order of 1×10 4   L·m -2 ·h -1 for oil/water mixtures. Moreover, for water-in-oil emulsions, the separation efficiency remains as high as 94.86%. Importantly, the variations in contact angle and sliding angle are less than 1% across a wide temperature range, while the contact angle fluctuation remains within 3% under pH conditions ranging from 1 to 13. In addition, the membrane demonstrates excellent long-term stability under continuous mechanical wear, confirming its suitability for practical applications in challenging oily wastewater treatment scenarios.