A super-hydrophobic/super-oleophilic carbon nanofibers (CNFs)-embedded resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF)-activated carbon fiber (ACF) composite membrane is synthesized for the efficient removal of water from a water-oil emulsion. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with copper oxide (CuO) as the catalyst is used to form CNFs for the first time over an ACF-supported RF polymeric layer. The prepared CuO–CNF/RF-ACF membrane was physicochemically characterized as super-hydrophobic/super-oleophilic (water contact angle 157° and oil contact angle 0°), attributed to the high surface roughness (R_a ∼55.56 nm) and graphitic content of the CNFs. The membrane had an asymmetric internal structure with a hydrophobic CNF-decorated microporous surface, which facilitated oil to pass and rejection of water droplets from the emulsion. The dead-end separation test data indicated a flux of 426 ± 20 L/m²-h with the water removal efficiency of 99.7% and the permeate having water droplets with the size range of 37–78 nm when tested against a water-oil emulsion of 10% (v/v) comprising 700–1700 nm sized water droplets. The physicochemical characterization, including the tests under harsh conditions showed the material mechanically, thermally, and chemically stable. The method described in this study to synthesize CuO–CNF/RF-ACF membrane is facile and has a potential for scale-up.

合成了一种超疏水/超亲油碳纳米纤维（CNF）-嵌入间苯二酚-甲醛（RF）-活性碳纤维（ACF）复合膜，用于有效去除水-油乳液中的水。以氧化铜 (CuO) 作为催化剂的化学气相沉积 (CVD) 首次用于在 ACF 支持的射频聚合物层上形成 CNF。制备的 CuO-CNF/RF-ACF 膜的物理化学特征为超疏水/超亲油（水接触角 157°，油接触角 0°），这归因于高表面粗糙度（R _a∼55.56 nm）和 CNF 的石墨含量。该膜具有不对称的内部结构，具有疏水性 CNF 装饰的微孔表面，这有助于油通过和排斥乳液中的水滴。死端分离测试数据表明，当对水-油进行测试时，通量为 426 ± 20 L/m ² -h，除水效率为 99.7%，渗透液的水滴尺寸范围为 37-78 nm 10% (v/v) 的乳液，包含 700–1700 nm 大小的水滴。物理化学表征，包括在恶劣条件下的测试表明该材料在机械、热和化学上是稳定的。本研究中描述的合成 CuO-CNF/RF-ACF 膜的方法简便，具有放大的潜力。