2D graphene oxide (GO) membranes are gaining prominence for water reclamation from oily wastewater. Unresolved challenges include low membrane permeance from tight sheets and fouling during separation. In this work, a bioinspired Arabic gum (AG) was used as an intercalated agent with the help of glutaraldehyde to improve the GO membranes’ permeation and fouling resistance. The 2D-laminated separating layer is crafted through a self-assembling innovative approach utilizing pressurized dead-end assembly. The Arabic gum intercalated graphene oxide-modified ceramic membrane (AGIGO-CM) appeared superhydrophilic and underwater (UW) superoleophobic with a UW oil contact angle (UWOCA) of 156.1 ± 1.2°. The membrane prepared with 1 mg of AGIGO (AGIGO-1-CM) offers a flux of 17 times higher than pristine graphene oxide (p-GO) while maintaining a separation efficiency of >99% during the separation of the oil-in-water emulsions. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations showed AG intercalation expanding the interlayer distance by up to 20 Å, with AGIGO having a higher fractional free volume (FFV) of 0.986 compared to p-GO’s 0.599. AGIGO-CM displayed lower interfacial formation energy (EIFE) of −1865.2 kcal/mol versus −765.5 kcal/mol for p-GO, indicating easier separation. It is further supported by the substantial interfacial thickness of 148 Å for AGIGO-CM compared to 53.0 Å for the p-GO membranes. AGIGO-CM showed minimal fouling, retaining >99% separation efficiency for 6 h. Compared to p-GO-CM, AGIGO-CM flux decreased by only 17.84% versus 44.72%. AGIGO-CM exhibited stability even in acidic and basic environments, showcasing its potential for high performance.

二维氧化石墨烯 (GO) 膜在含油废水的水回收方面越来越受到重视。未解决的挑战包括紧密片材导致的低膜渗透性和分离过程中的污垢。在这项工作中，采用仿生阿拉伯胶（AG）作为插层剂，在戊二醛的帮助下提高GO膜的渗透性和抗污染性。二维层压分离层是通过利用加压死端组装的自组装创新方法制成的。阿拉伯胶插层氧化石墨烯改性陶瓷膜（AGIGO-CM）表现出超亲水性和水下（UW）超疏油性，UW油接触角（UWOCA）为156.1±1.2°。用 1 mg AGIGO (AGIGO-1-CM) 制备的膜的通量比原始氧化石墨烯 (p-GO) 高 17 倍，同时在水包油分离过程中保持 >99% 的分离效率乳液。分子动力学 (MD) 模拟显示 AG 插层将层间距离扩大了 20 Å，AGIGO 的自由体积分数 (FFV) 高达 0.986，而 p-GO 为 0.599。 AGIGO-CM 显示出较低的界面形成能 (EIFE)，为 -1865.2 kcal/mol，而 p-GO 为 -765.5 kcal/mol，这表明分离更容易。 AGIGO-CM 的界面厚度为 148 Å，而 p-GO 膜的界面厚度为 53.0 Å，这进一步证明了这一点。 AGIGO-CM 显示出最小的污垢，在 6 小时内保持 >99% 的分离效率。与 p-GO-CM 相比，AGIGO-CM 通量仅下降了 17.84%，而p-GO-CM 则下降了 44.72%。 AGIGO-CM 即使在酸性和碱性环境中也表现出稳定性，展示了其高性能的潜力。