Traditional superwettable membranes for demulsification of oil/water emulsions could not maintain their separation performance for long because of low demulsification capacity and surface fouling during practical applications. A charging membrane could repel the contaminants for a while, the charge of which would gradually be neutralized during the separation progress. Here, a superhydrophilic piezoelectric membrane (SPM) with sustained demulsification and antifouling capacity is proposed for achieving prolonged emulsion separation, which is capable of converting inherent pulse hydraulic filtration pressure into pulse voltage. A pulse voltage up to −7.6 V is generated to intercept the oil by expediting the deformation and coalescence of emulsified oil droplets, realizing the demulsification. Furthermore, it repels negatively charged oil droplets, avoiding membrane fouling. Additionally, any organic foulants adhering to the membrane undergo degradation facilitated by the generated reactive oxygen species. The separation data demonstrate a 98.85% efficiency with a flux decline ratio below 14% during a 2 h separation duration and a nearly 100% flux recovery of SPM. This research opens new avenues in membrane separation, environmental remediation, etc.

中文翻译：

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通过增强压电效应维持乳液分离来提高膜的破乳和防污能力

传统的用于油/水乳液破乳的超润湿膜在实际应用中由于破乳能力低和表面污染而无法长期保持其分离性能。带电膜可以暂时排斥污染物，在分离过程中污染物的电荷会逐渐被中和。这里，提出了一种具有持续破乳和防污能力的超亲水压电膜（SPM），用于实现长时间的乳液分离，它能够将固有的脉冲水力过滤压力转换为脉冲电压。产生高达-7.6 V的脉冲电压，通过加速乳化油滴的变形和聚结来拦截油液，实现破乳。此外，它还能排斥带负电的油滴，避免膜污染。此外，任何附着在膜上的有机污染物都会因产生的活性氧而发生降解。分离数据表明，在 2 小时的分离时间内，SPM 的效率高达 98.85%，通量下降率低于 14%，并且 SPM 的通量恢复率接近 100%。该研究为膜分离、环境修复等领域开辟了新途径。