Self-Assembled Vanadium Carbide MXene-Modified Ceramic Membranes with High Permeability for Efficient Oil-in-Water Emulsion Separation

Developing high-performance membranes for efficient oil–water emulsion separation is essential for advancing sustainable and cost-effective wastewater treatment technologies. MXenes, as emerging two-dimensional materials, offer distinct advantages due to their inherent hydrophilicity, chemical stability, and mechanical durability. In this work, ceramic membranes were surface-modified with vanadium carbide (V₂C) MXene, a relatively underexplored member of the MXene family, and systematically characterized and evaluated for oil-in-water emulsion separation. Membranes were fabricated with varying V₂C loadings (2, 4, and 6 mg), and their performance was assessed. The membrane modified with 6 mg of V₂C loading exhibited outstanding separation efficiency, achieving greater than 99% oil rejection and a flux recovery ratio (FRR) exceeding 90%. The optimized membrane also demonstrated underwater superoleophobicity with an underwater–oil contact angle (UWOCA) of 153°, indicating strong resistance to oil fouling. Moreover, it maintained a stable performance across a broad pH range and varying oil concentrations. These findings highlight the potential of V₂C MXene-modified ceramic membranes for robust oil–water separation. Future work will focus on incorporating predictive machine learning models to optimize the membrane performance and accelerate scale-up.