Fabrication of hollow and porous polystyrene fibrous membranes by electrospinning combined with freeze-drying for oil removal from water

A novel method was proposed to fabricate hollow and surface porous polystyrene (PS) fibrous membranes for the removal of oil from water. Spinning solutions were prepared by using camphene and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as pore-forming agents, and hollow PS fibers with 100–400 nm pores on the surface were fabricated by electrospinning and freeze-drying. The distribution and volatilization of camphene and TEOS, as well as the drying behavior of solvents in high relative humidity, were important factors in forming the porous structure of PS fibers. The specific surface area of obtained PS fibrous membranes was twice that of conventional electrospun PS fibrous membranes and displayed superhydrophobic properties. Moreover, the large adsorption storage space was formed due to the hollow structure and porous surface of PS fibers. The maximum oil adsorption capacity of the porous PS fibrous membrane was 105.4 g g⁻¹, and was larger than that of the conventional PS fibrous membrane after repeated five times, thus making it a promising tool for oil spill cleanups. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47262.