Bioinspired Dynamic Antifouling of Oil‐Water Separation Membrane by Bubble‐Mediated Shape Morphing

Abstract Oil–water separation membranes easily fail to oil foulants with low surface energy and high viscosity, which severely limits these membranes’ applications in treating oily wastewater. Herein, an oil–water separation membrane by bioinspired bubble‐mediated antifouling strategy is fabricated via growing hierarchical cobalt phosphide arrays on stainless steel mesh. The as‐prepared membrane is superhydrophilic/superaerophobic and electrocatalytic for hydrogen evolution under water, which helps to rapidly generate and release abundant microbubbles surrounding the oil‐fouled region on the membrane. These microbubbles can spontaneously coalesce with the oil foulants to increase their buoyancy and warp their…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 52103274, 2021ZLGX06
• CU
  China University of Petroleum, Beijing

  Award: 22CX04002A
• FR
  Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

  Awards: 22CX01004A, 21CX06019A