Synergistically Robust Cellulose Paper via Double‐Network Hydrogels for Oil‐in‐Water Emulsion Separation
Xiaowu Jiang, Pingjie Zhang, Shuai Liu, Linjing Zhang, Yutong Zhao, Jiayi Li, Lingli NiABSTRACT
The practical application of superhydrophilic materials for treating emulsified oily wastewater is often hindered by their inadequate mechanical robustness. This study presents a synergistic strategy to fabricate a high‐performance cellulose paper by integrating a polyvinyl alcohol/polyacrylamide double‐network hydrogels with freeze orientation and salt‐induced crystallization. The optimized composite paper achieves a peak stress of ~2.0 MPa, with an elongation at break close to 100%, demonstrating a balance between strength and toughness. For oil‐in‐water emulsions, the material exhibits exceptional separation efficiency (~99%) and a relatively high flux of up to 36 L/(m 2 ·h). It also shows outstanding cyclic durability, maintaining a separation efficiency above 98% with only a 19% flux decline after 20 consecutive separation cycles. This work provides an effective solution for developing robust cellulose‐based materials for advanced oily wastewater treatment.