Modification of Poly(Lactic Acid) Non-Woven Fabric for Enhanced Oil–Water Separation

Abstract

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) non-woven fabric has the advantages of wide source of raw materials, low manufacturing cost, and completely biodegradable and pollution free, and it is gradually applied to the field of oil–water separation. Herein, a simple and low-cost method for oil–water separation was proposed using modified poly(lactic acid) non-woven fabric, which has the advantages of biodegradability. PLA non-woven fabric was immersed in xylene and trimethylpropyl silane (95/5) suspension containing titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles, and the immersion temperature and time were taken as variables. The prepared non-woven fabrics were studied using SEM, DSC, ATR-FTIR, etc. The results show that the modified fabric can achieve superhydrophobicity, which can be attributed to the combined effect of titanium dioxide deposition on the surface of PLA fabric and the formation of dense porous structures in the surface layer. The prepared PLA non-woven fabric shows excellent oil–water separation effect. This work takes into account the advantages of both low cost and environmental friendly, demonstrating a promising method for the oil–water separation.