Silicone decorated polycaprolactone electrospun fibrous membranes for oil/water separation

Due to the rapid development of modern industry, oily wastewater, which contained poisonous chemicals, would cause damage to marine fishery resources, and finally threaten human health. To address this issue, we herein report a fibrous membrane for oil-water separation. Firstly, the silicone polymer was synthesized by the in situ polymerization of aminopropyl trimethoxysilane and 3-glycidyloxypropyl trimethoxysilane in a polycaprolactone (PCL) solution. Then, the silicone decorated PCL (S-PCL) fibrous membranes were then prepared via electrospinning the synthesized solution. The decorated silicone offers a good porous structure for fibrous membranes. Specifically, the decorated silicone endows the PCL fibrous membrane with a good lipophilic/hydrophobic performance with a water contact angle of 169 degrees under oil. More importantly, the obtained fibrous membrane owned a good oil-water selectivity. The oil droplets could be spread and absorbed by the fibrous membrane in water within 5 s. Such efficient separation for oil and water mixtures, endowed by silicone, will make the PCL fibrous membrane an environmental-friendly candidate for treating oily wastewater.