ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

Keywords:electrospinning,nanofibrousmembrane,photothermalconversion,shapememoryeffect, light-responsive,crudeoiladsorption

Efficient recovery of highly viscous crude oil remains a critical challenge due to the poor mobility and slow diffusion of such oils under ambient conditions. Here, a photothermal shapememory nanofibrous membrane (CB@ AUA/SIS) was developed via the electrospinning of aliphatic polyurethane acrylate (AUA) and polystyrene-block-polyisoprene-block-polystyrene (SIS), incorporating carbon black (CB) as a low-cost photothermal filler. The electrospun architecture provides a high surface area and porosity, while the CB endows the membrane with light absorption (reaching 98%) and a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 73.4%. Upon irradiation, the membrane rapidly heats to 61.2 C, effectively reducing the viscosity of crude oil. Together with the intrinsic lipophilicity of the AUA/SIS copolymer, a high adsorption rate of 6240 g· m− 2· min− 1 is achieved. In addition, the membrane exhibits excellent hydrophobicity and a light-responsive shape memory effect. This allows the folded structure to autonomously unfold on water surfaces, facilitating its intelligent deployment. Outdoor sunlight tests further confirm its reliable performance. This work demonstrates a multifunctional, light-adaptive system that integrates solar-driven heating and programmable shape transformation for the remediation of viscous crude oil spills.

Qiong Zuo,Lingyu Zhao,Qingyuan Du,Zengbai Ouyang,Yutong Wang,Dazhi Sun,Jinsong Leng

photothermal-shape-memory-nanofibrous-membrane-for-efficient-recovery-of-high-viscosity-crude-oil.pdf