A stable ZIF-8-coated mesh membrane with micro-/nano architectures produced by a facile fabrication method for high-efficiency oil-water separation

With the possibility of large-area processing, the ZIF-8-coated mesh membranes with rough micro-/nanostructures and underwater superoleophobic properties were successfully fabricated at ambient temperature and pressure. These membranes exhibited excellent separation efficiency over 99.99% for various oil-water mixtures with the residual oil content in the collected water less than 4 ppm, and high water flux of 10.2 x 10(4) L m(-2) h(-1). Furthermore, the ZIF-8-coated mesh membrane displayed outstanding stability towards high temperature and various organic solvents immersion. More importantly, based on its facile fabrication method, this kind of ZIF-8-coated mesh membrane can be easily enlarged, which is critical for the practical oil-water separation applications.