Facile Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Sponge with Selective Absorption and Collection of Oil from Water

A simple vapor-phase deposition process has been developed to fabricate a superhydrophobic and superoleophilic sponge using ordinary commercial polyurethane sponges. The simultaneous properties of superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity enable the sponge to float on the water surface and selectively absorb oil from water. Its uptake capacities of different oils (motor oil, lubricating oil, pump oil, silicone oil, and soybean oil) in the oil–water mixtures were all above 20 g/g. The absorbed oil could be collected by squeezing the sponge, and the recovered sponge could be reused in oil–water separation for many cycles while still maintaining a high capacity. This is helpful for realizing the proper disposal of the oil and avoiding secondary pollution. A similar experiment was performed using the as-prepared sponge to remove petroleum from contaminated water. The results suggest that our material might find practical applications in the cleanup of oil spills and the removal of organic pollutants from water surfaces

Facile Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Sponge with Selective Absorption and Collection of Oil from Water

A simple vapor-phase deposition process has been developed to fabricate a superhydrophobic and superoleophilic sponge using ordinary commercial polyurethane sponges. The simultaneous properties of superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity enable the sponge to float on the water surface and selectively absorb oil from water. Its uptake capacities of different oils (motor oil, lubricating oil, pump oil, silicone oil, and soybean oil) in the oil–water mixtures were all above 20 g/g. The absorbed oil could be collected by squeezing the sponge, and the recovered sponge could be reused in oil–water separation for many cycles while still maintaining a high capacity. This is helpful for realizing the proper disposal of the oil and avoiding secondary pollution. A similar experiment was performed using the as-prepared sponge to remove petroleum from contaminated water. The results suggest that our material might find practical applications in the cleanup of oil spills and the removal of organic pollutants from water surfaces

Robust and Durable Superhydrophobic Cotton Fabrics for Oil/Water Separation

By introducing the incorporation of polyaniline and fluorinated alkyl silane to the cotton fabric via a facile vapor phase deposition process, the fabric surface possessed superhydrophobicity with the water contact angle of 156° and superoleophilicity with the oil contact angle of 0°. The as-prepared fabric can be applied as effective materials for the separation of water and oil mixture with separation efficiency as high as 97.8%. Compared with other materials for oil/water separation, the reported process was simple, time-saving, and repeatable for at least 30 times. Moreover, the obtained fabric kept stable superhydrophobicity and high separation efficiency under extreme environment conditions of high temperature, high humidity, strong acidic or alkaline solutions, and mechanical forces. Therefore, this reported fabric has the advantages of scalable fabrication, high separation efficiency, stable recyclability, and excellent durability, exhibiting the strong potential for industrial production

Robust and Durable Superhydrophobic Cotton Fabrics for Oil/Water Separation

By introducing the incorporation of polyaniline and fluorinated alkyl silane to the cotton fabric via a facile vapor phase deposition process, the fabric surface possessed superhydrophobicity with the water contact angle of 156° and superoleophilicity with the oil contact angle of 0°. The as-prepared fabric can be applied as effective materials for the separation of water and oil mixture with separation efficiency as high as 97.8%. Compared with other materials for oil/water separation, the reported process was simple, time-saving, and repeatable for at least 30 times. Moreover, the obtained fabric kept stable superhydrophobicity and high separation efficiency under extreme environment conditions of high temperature, high humidity, strong acidic or alkaline solutions, and mechanical forces. Therefore, this reported fabric has the advantages of scalable fabrication, high separation efficiency, stable recyclability, and excellent durability, exhibiting the strong potential for industrial production