Functional PVDF/rGO/TiO2 nanofiber webs for the removal of oil from water

Membrane technology proved to be the most promising method for water treatment because of functionality, high efficiency, low cost and stability of smart membrane. In this study, novel effective PVDF/rGO/TiO2 nanofiber webs for oil/water separation are produced by incorporation of rGO/TiO2 nanoparticles in the electrospun solution. GO is prepared by Brodie's method while rGO/TiO2 is synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The morphology of PVDF/rGO/TiO2 nanofiber is tested by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and optical microscope. Moreover, the mechanical properties, water contact angle, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and oil-water separation property of these nanofiber webs are also tested. The results show PVDF/rGO/TiO2 nanofibers with rGO/TiO2 concentration of 3% have uniform diameter and diameter distribution. Additionally, the mean roughness (Ra) shows an increasing trend with rGO/TiO2 concentration from 0% to 20%. The mechanical properties of PVDF/rGO/TiO2 nanofiber webs are affected by the rGO/TiO2 concentration. FTIR results indicate the existence of GO and TiO2 peaks in the nanofiber webs. In addition, from the oil-water removal experiment, it can be observed that PVDF/rGO/TiO2 nanofiber webs with a rGO/TiO2 concentration of 3% has the highest oil removal efficiency at 98.46%. Overall, the hydrophobic PVDF/rGO/TiO2 nanofiber webs turned out to be promising materials for separating oil/water mixture. [Display omitted] •This paper is on the production of the reduced graphene oxide/titanium dioxide (rGO/TiO2) coated functional PVDF/rGO/TiO2 nanofiber webs for oil/water separation.•The results in this study indicate the combination of rGO sheet and one dimensional TiO2 with hydrophobic PVDF nanofiber webs could obtain higher oil separation property.•We believe the as-prepared smart nanofiber webs with excellent controllable permeability have enormous potential in oil recovery and water purification fields.