Issue 34, 2023

Interfacial assembly of a durable superhydrophobic polyurethane sponge with “scalelike” structures for efficient oily emulsion separation

Abstract

Oily wastewater discharged from the petrochemical industry and people's daily life has caused severe eco-environmental issues. Thus, developing efficient and durable oil/water separation adsorbent materials is urgently desired. In this study, a durable superhydrophobic/superlipophilic polyurethane sponge with “scalelike” pore structures was synthesized by interfacial assembly via in situ anchoring of SiO2 and H-CNTs accompanied by the bonding effect and active sites from polydopamine (PDA). After modification with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (POTS), the prepared sponge demonstrated a high water contact angle (WCA) up to 156.0 ± 1.4°, which could selectively absorb diverse oils ranging from 32.0 ± 0.3 to 116.0 ± 0.3 times its own weight. Meanwhile, the prepared sponge displayed superior separation efficiency up to 99.99% toward various oily emulsions due to its superhydrophobic/superoleophilic properties accompanied by the needle demulsification and diversion of H-CNTs. Notably, the prepared sponge also exhibited prominent environment tolerance against a variety of difficult harsh circumstances such as high temperature, UV irradiation and acid/alkaline solution, and the WCAs were stably over 150 ± 1.5°. Moreover, the prepared sponge possessed excellent antifouling and self-cleaning properties. Therefore, this novel durable superhydrophobic polyurethane sponge with a “scalelike” pore structure is of great significance to enable potential applications in dealing with practically challenging emulsified wastewater.

Graphical abstract: Interfacial assembly of a durable superhydrophobic polyurethane sponge with “scalelike” structures for efficient oily emulsion separation

  • This article is part of the themed collection: #MyFirstJMCA

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
18 5 2023
Accepted
10 8 2023
First published
11 8 2023

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023,11, 18081-18088

Interfacial assembly of a durable superhydrophobic polyurethane sponge with “scalelike” structures for efficient oily emulsion separation

Z. Liu, J. Yang, J. Jing, X. Zhang, Y. Fu, M. Li, R. Yuan and H. Wang, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023, 11, 18081 DOI: 10.1039/D3TA02939E

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