Fabrication of Silica Nanospheres Coated Membranes: towards the Effective Separation of Oil-in-Water Emulsion in Extremely Acidic and Concentrated Salty Environments.

A superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic surface is fabricated by simply coating silica nanospheres onto a glass fiber membrane through a sol-gel process. Such membrane has a complex framework with micro and nano structures covering and presents a high efficiency (more than 98%) of oil-in-water emulsion separation under harsh environments including strong acidic and concentrated salty conditions. This membrane also possesses outstanding stability since no obvious decline in efficiency is observed after different kinds of oil-in-water emulsions separation, which provides it candidate for comprehensive applicability.