Super-Wettable Macrocycle Polymer Membranes for Effective Oil–Water Separation

Common membrane material preparation methods for oil-water separation face critical challenges, including complex structures, cumbersome procedures, and high energy consumption, which limit their large-scale applications. To tackle these problems, here we present a macrocycle construction strategy for superwettable polymer membranes using pillararenes. Specifically, a hydrazone-linked pillararene-based polymer (NP5-TOB) was synthesized through a facile room-temperature interfacial polymerization and subsequently assembled into robust membranes using vacuum-assisted filtration, enabling the synergistic regulation of wettability and surface roughness. NP5-TOB membrane efficiently separates various complex oil/water systems under prewetting conditions, achieving a separation efficiency exceeding 99% and a flux of up to 4858.35 L m^-2 h^-1, thus offering a promising route for the development of high-performance membranes with excellent separation potential.