Enhanced Oil/Water Separation Performance of Asymmetric PVDF-PLA/MXene Composite Membranes

Abstract In this study, functionally asymmetric Janus-type membranes were developed using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polylactic acid (PLA) polymers through electrospinning with one layer deposited over the other, to create an effective oil-water emulsion separation membrane. To enhance the membrane properties, MXene was synthesized from the MAX phase and incorporated into the PLA solution. During the electrospinning process, PLA-MXene solutions of varying compositions were spun over the PVDF base layer to fabricate the composite membranes. The separation efficiency of the PVDF-PLA/Mxene composite membranes was evaluated and compared to that of the neat PVDF-PLA membrane. Among the modified membranes, the 2 wt% Mxene-reinforced composite demonstrated the highest separation efficiency of 86.79%, followed by the 1 wt% Mxene composite at 80.24%, compared with 75.76% for the neat PVDF-PLA membrane. The increased capacity of the Mxene-reinforced membranes to remove organic pollutants from the solution indicates their superior performance.