Self-cleaning nanofiber membrane for efficient oil-water separation and dye degradation

Conventional hydrophobic membranes often suffer from fouling accumulation due to the absence of effective self-cleaning mechanisms, thereby hindering their long-term operational stability and recyclability. In this study, a polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based composite nanofiber membrane with a hierarchical micro-nano surface structure was fabricated by combining the in-situ growth of TiO 2 with an optimization of octadecyltrimethoxysilane (OTMS) coating morphology. Benefiting from the unique hierarchical morphology of micron-scale flower clusters and nano-protrusions, coupled with the synergistic effect of photocatalyst TiO 2 and the superhydrophobic layer OTMS, the resulting nanofiber membrane (PAN/TiO 2 /OTMS) exhibited outstanding dual-functional properties of superhydrophobicity (water contact angle >154°, sliding angle