Oil/water separation is a worldwide challenge and addressing this challenge calls for the development of efficient absorbent materials. Here superhydrophobic/superoleophilic magnetic polyurethane (PU) sponge was fabricated via the facile dopamine self-polymerization to anchor Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles onto the skeleton of the PU sponge, followed by the introduction of the low-surface-energy hydrophobic molecules heptadecafluoro-1, 1, 2, 2-tetrahydrodecyltrimethoxysilane (FAS-17) on the sponge surface to induce the superhydrophobic transformation. The magnetic PU sponge displays excellent superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity, and more favorably possesses magnetic responsiveness and superior stability against corrosive solutions; It gave the outstanding separation performance under magnetic actuation not only for floating oils on water surface and heavy organic pollutants under water, but also in the more complex environments such as acidic solution (pH =1) and simulated seawater, suggesting the great potential in the practical oily wastewater treatment. The presented approach provides a facile and easily scalable solution for the design and construction of multifunctional magnetic absorbent materials with low cost for practical applications in the petro-chemical field.

In nature, water-repellency (superhydrophobicity) is found, besides in plants, in insects and bird feathers. The booming field of biomimetics allows one to mimic nature to develop nanomaterials, nanodevices, and processes which offer desirable properties. Biomimetics means mimicking biology or nature. Inspired from nature, which reveals excellent superhydrophobicity, researchers have recently developed and implemented biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces in a variety of smart and simple ways. Superhydrophobicity is an effect where surface roughness and chemical composition combine to generate unusual water repellent surface, causing water to bounce and roll off the surface. This review article provides the overview of the recent progress (within the last four years) in the synthesis, characterization, theoretical modelling, and applications of superhydrophobic surfaces, with focus on the different techniques used and how they have developed over the years. At last, the difficulties related to implementation of superhydrophobic surfaces in day to day life are discussed. This review can find interesting for students, scientists and industrial companies working especially on superhydrophobic surfaces

No abstract

No abstract