Facile fabrication of durable superhydrophobic SiO₂/polyurethane composite sponge for continuous separation of oil from water

Abstract

A simple one-step solution immersion method was employed to fabricate a robust superhydrophobic SiO2/polyurethane composite sponge for continuous separation of oil pollutants from water surfaces.

Preparation of a porous superhydrophobic foam from waste plastic and its application for oil spill cleanup

“…The adsorption rate was much faster than that of similar oiladsorbing materials reported, such as resins, sponges, and foams, prepared by the impregnation method. [38][39][40] In this study, the fast adsorption speed was quite a delightful feature. It was mainly attributed to the widely distributed open-pore structure and the superlipophilicity of the entire material.…”

Large-scale fabrication of translucent and repairable superhydrophobic spray coatings with remarkable mechanical, chemical durability and UV resistance

“…22,23 However, the mesh/membrane systems can hardly be used for continuous oil-water separation, and may require some water/oil collection or disposal processes, which results in some energy and economic costs. [24][25][26][27] Here, we demonstrate a simple and effective spray process to create a translucent, mechanically durable, chemically stable, healable and environmentally friendly superhydrophobic coating with remarkable UV resistance. The spray was fabricated using functionalized SiO 2 nanoparticles and uorine-free polymers, and can be easily treated on both hard (glass and copper) and so substrates (cotton, textile and sponge).…”

Development of Durable, Fluorine-free, and Transparent Superhydrophobic Surfaces for Oil/Water Separation

“…11−13 In addition, if transparent superhydrophobic surfaces could be produced, the range of their possible applications could be further extended to glass-based substrates such as windshields for automobile, windows, goggles, and solar panels. 14−17 In the past decades, various kinds of methods including dip-coating, 18 vapor-phase deposition, 19 electrospinning, 20 self-assembly, 21 and so on 22 have been applied to construct superhydrophobic surfaces such as fluoroalkylsilane (FAS)-grafted ceramic membrane, 23 polytetrafluoroethylene-coated glass, 24 stearic acid-modified steel, 25 SiO 2 -coated sponge, 26,27 TiO 2 -modified fabric, 28 and so forth. 29 Unfortunately, many fabricated superhydrophobic surfaces can be easily damaged by the application of an external force because of the poor mechanical stability of the rough surface structure and weak adhesion between low-surface-energy coating and the substrates, which greatly limits their application and development.…”