Conspectus
Electrospinning is regarded
as an efficient
method for directly
and continuously fabricating nanofibers. The electrospinning process
is relatively simple and convenient to operate and can be used to
prepare polymer nanofibers for almost all polymer solutions, melts,
emulsions, and suspensions with sufficient viscosity. In addition,
inorganic nanofibers can also be prepared via electrospinning by adding
small amounts of polymers into the inorganic precursors, which are
generally regarded as nonspinnable. The diameter of the electrospun
nanofibers can be tuned from tens of nanometers to submicrons by changing
the spinning parameters. The nonwoven fabric stacked with electrospun
fibers is a porous material with interconnected submicron pores, providing
a porosity above 80%. However, limited by the unstable rheological
properties of the electrospinning fluid, it is difficult to obtain
nanofibers stably and continuously with an average diameter of <100
nm, which narrows the separation applications of the electrospun nanofibrous
membranes to only microfiltration, air filtration, or use as membrane
substrates. Therefore, to fully take advantage of electrospun nanofibrous
membranes in other separation applications, electrospun nanofibrous
composite (ENC) membranes were developed to improve and optimize their
selectivity, permeability, and other separation performances. The
composite membranes not only have all the advantages of single-layered
or single-component membranes, but also have more flexibility in the
choice of functional components.
In this account, we summarize
the two combination strategies to
design and fabricate ENC membranes. One is based on the component
combination, in which functional components are homogeneously or heterogeneously
mixed in the fiber matrix or modified on the nanofiber surface. The
other one is termed as the interfacial combination, in which functional
skin layers are fabricated on the top of the electrospun membranes
via interfacial deposition or interfacial polymerization, to construct
selective barriers. The specific preparation approaches in the two
combination strategies are discussed systematically. Additionally,
the structural characteristics and separation performances of ENC
membranes fabricated via these approaches are also compared and analyzed
to clarify their advantages and range of utilization. Subsequently,
the six applications of ENC membranes we focus on are demonstrated,
including adsorption, membrane distillation, oil/water emulsion separation,
nanofiltration, hemodialysis, and pervaporation. To meet their different
requirements for separations, our consideration about the choice of
combination strategies, related preparation methods, and functional
components are discussed based on typical research cases. In the end,
we conclude this account with an overview of the challenges in industrial
manufacturing, mechanical strength, and interfacial attachment of
ENC membranes and prospect their future developments.