Progress in electrospun nanofibrous membranes used for oil-water separation

Recently, oil pollution resulting from frequent oil spill accidents and industries has been a great damage to the eco-environment. Therefore, novel oil-water separation materials are urgently desired and have become a hot issue. Electrospun nanofibers of special wettability is a new porous material for oil-water separation owing to their large specific surface area and higher porosity. It can separate oil and water spontaneously without additional energy. This paper gives a comprehensive review to the recent studies about the superhydrophilic-oleophobic, superhydrophobic-oleophilic, switchable hydrophilicity/oleophilicity and directional oil transport nanofibrous membranes. In each part, the preparation, lyophibilicity, separation process and efficient are discussed. Moreo-ver, the challenges and prospects for the future of this kind of materials are highlighted.