Investigation into the Fabrication of Oil-Water Separation Membranes via Dip-Coating and Electron Beam Irradiation Methods

• A method for preparing high-efficiency oil-water separation membranes via dip-coating and irradiation is presented. • This membrane demonstrates the ability to separate a variety of oil-water mixtures, achieving a remarkable separation efficiency of 99.64% for petroleum ether/water mixtures. • The mechanism of the effect of electron beam irradiation on the separation performance of modified membranes was investigated. High-performance oil-water separation membranes are a promising technology for efficient wastewater treatment. This study introduces a composite modification approach that integrates dip-coating and electron beam irradiation techniques. By using polyurethane (PU) and hydrophobic silica dioxide (SiO 2 ) as functional coatings, we modified the surfaces of both polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabrics and polypropylene (PP) nonwoven fabrics, successfully producing a series of oil-water separation membranes with pronounced hydrophobic characteristics. Our findings reveal that these modified membranes demonstrate superior separation efficacy across various oil-water mixtures. Specifically, the separation efficiency for petroleum ether/water was an impressive 99.64%, while the carbon tetrachloride/water separation flux peaked at 1.65 × 10⁴ L ⋅ m −2 ⋅ h −1 . Regarding recyclability, even after 10 cycles, the separation efficiency for petroleum ether/water remained above 98%, with a stable separation flux of 3.4 × 10³ L ⋅ m −2 ⋅ h −1 . Moreover, when subjected to immersion in highly acidic (pH=2) and alkaline (pH=12) solutions for 52 hours, the membrane materials retained commendable separation fluxes: 3.8 × 10³ L ⋅ m −2 ⋅ h −1 for PET fabric and 3.2 × 10³ L ⋅ m −2 ⋅ h −1 for PP nonwoven fabric. Remarkably, the separation flux of the dip-coated modified polypropylene (PP) membrane increased by 15.2% following electron beam (EB) irradiation at 200 keV and 50 kGy, demonstrating commendable stability in the membrane material. The mechanism responsible for this performance enhancement via EB irradiation modification was scrutinized using data derived from various characterization techniques such as fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and contact angle measurements. This research introduces a method for creating high-efficiency oil-water separation membranes through a combination of dip-coating and irradiation processes. The fabrication of highly hydrophobic PET-M-EB and PP-M-EB materials was successfully achieved through a synergistic process involving impregnation coating and electron beam irradiation. These materials exhibit an efficient oil-water separation capability, demonstrate exceptional chemical stability, and hold significant potential for application in the treatment of oily wastewater.