Superhydrophobic
and oleophilic sponges have been demonstrated
as promising candidates for oil/water separation. However, there are
still challenges in large-scale fabrication of superhydrophobic sponges
with low cost and feasible method for industrial applications. Herein,
we report a superhydrophobic and oleophilic melamine sponge functionalized
by a uniform polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film that can be easily coated
onto the sponge skeleton through UV-assisted thiol–ene click
reactions. The PDMS films are characterized by a hierarchically striped
microstructure with an average distance less than 2 μm. Because
of the striped microstructure and the hydrophobic property of silicone,
a high contact angle of 156.2° was achieved. Importantly, the
interconnected open-cell structure of the melamine sponge was preserved
by adapting the thickness of the PDMS film. The PDMS-coated melamine
sponge exhibited a desirable absorption capacity of 103–179
times its own weight with oils and organic solvents. The excellent
mechanical properties of melamine and the flexibility of PDMS enable
the PDMS-coated melamine sponges to be squeezed repeatedly without
collapsing. This study offers a robust and effective approach in large-scale
preparation of a superhydrophobic sponge for large-scale oil spill
containment and environmental remediation by the inexpensive commercial
polymethylvinylsilicone and facile dip-coating/UV-curing method.
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