Search

Porous materials with excellent mechanical stability and robust superhydrophobic performance exhibit promising prospect for practical applications in the field of oil−water separation. The construction of superhydrophobic surfaces typically involve two individual steps, including increase surface roughness and decrease surface energy. Unlike traditionally approach, the superhydrophobic performance of modified PU sponge can be accomplished by one−pot approach, which does not require complicated processing procedures or specific equipment. The present study successfully developed a superhydrophobic porous PU sponge using a facile and cost−effective one−pot approach by employing tannic acid (TA), 3–aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), and octadecyltrimethoxysilane (ODTS) as superhydrophobic modifiers. The water contact angle of the modified PU sponge was determined approximately 152.3 °, suggesting its superhydrophobic characteristic. The modified PU sponge showed remarkable environmental tolerance when subjected to a wide pH range of acidic and alkaline solutions. The WCAs remained consistently above 150°, indicating its durability and stability against harsh circumstances. The superhydrophobic PU sponge also demonstrated remarkable of self−cleaning and antifouling capacities. The obtained sponge exhibited an impressive selective oil adsorption capacity from oil−water mixtures, ranging from 18.7 to 88.4 times of its initial mass, depending on the specific type of oil utilized in the test. The sponge still maintained its excellent adsorption capacity even after 20 cycles of adsorption–squeezing experiment. Immiscible oil−water mixtures with different densities could also be highly effectively separated by the superhydrophobic PU sponge in a continuous way. The separation efficiencies for diesel/water and chloroform/water were determined to be 98.5 % and 99.5 %, respectively, demonstrating outstanding levels of continuous separation effectiveness. With the readily available PU sponge as substrate material and the simple modification process, this work could provide a potential pathway for fabrication of cost−effective, long durable, and high efficient superhydrophobic materials in oil/water separation. • A facile one−pot approach was applied to fabricate durable superhydrophobic PU sponge. • The modified PU sponge showed environmental tolerance when subjected to different acidic and alkaline solutions. • The modified PU sponge exhibited an impressive selective oil adsorption capacity from oil−water mixtures. • The oil−water mixtures with different densities could be separated by the modified PU sponge in a continuous way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide (GO) was prepared by using the natural graphite as raw materials via the modified Hummers’ method and ultrasonic stripping method. GO was reduced online after its anchoring on the surface of polyurethane sponges by a dip-coating method, then in situ reduced graphene oxide-based polyurethane (IRGOPU) sponges were fabricated. The characterizations of IRGOPU sponges were investigated using Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and contact angle measurement. The IRGOPU sponges had an adsorption capacity for a broad range of oils up to 21.7 ~ 55 g/g. A simulation experiment of large-scale oil spill using a simple IRGOPU sponge hollow tube component was designed. The process of continuous oil removal from water surface was quick and effective, and the oil/water separation efficiency could be up to 99.6%. The results indicated that the IRGOPU sponge hollow tube may be an optimum candidate for the oil/water separation of large-scale oil spill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A polyurethane (PU) sponge with hydrophobic/oleophilic property was prepared based on the thiol–ene click reaction, which was a simple method with only one step. Photopolymerization was induced through UV light on the sponge surface in a homogeneous solution containing polyethylene glycol diacrylate, pentaerythritol (mercaptoacetic acid) ester, 2-hydroxy-4′-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-2-methylpropiophenone, and octadecyl methacrylate. The as-prepared sponge possessed excellent selective for oil from various types of oil/water mixtures. It also had a high absorption capacity for toluene, >21 times its self-weight, and it had about 20 times its self-weight for vegetable oil, even after five extrusion–adsorption cycles, presenting a good recyclability. It created a new method to prepare oil/water separation sponge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]