Flame-Retardant Silanized Boron Nitride Nanosheet-Infused Superhydrophobic Sponges for Oil/Water Separation

Abstract

Low cost superhydrophobic/superlipophilic sponge with superior flame retardancy is promising for impactful oil/water separation. Herein, a superhydrophobic silanized boron nitride nanosheet-infused sponge (SBNIS) with a water contact angle (WCA) of 165°was fabricated through a facile bioinspired covalent interaction (inspired by the marine mussels). By combining the properties of boron nitride nanosheets (outstanding chemical stability) and silane (intrinsic hydrophobicity), the resultant biomimetic superhydrophobic sponge shows exceptional oil absorb capacity (maximum 99 times of its own weight) and superior stability (over 20 separation cycles) even in extremely harsh circumstances (strong acid, alkali, salt). Notably, the asfabricated sponge displays excellent flame retardancy and compressive strength, manifesting potential applications in long-term practical operation. Accordingly, this strategy may open an avenue for the rational design of an advanced superhydrophobic sponge with excellent repeatability and stability.

A multifunctional non‐fluorinated flame retardant superhydrophobic 3‐D porous material for highly selective oil spill treatment and removal of dyes

“…1 However, numerous oil spill catastrophes have resulted in severe environmental pollution and have therefore become a global concern in recent years. [2][3][4] Toxic chemicals in oily wastewater not only endanger aquatic creatures but also have a substantial impact on human health. 5 As a consequence, developing a method for successfully separating oil-water mixtures is critical.…”

“…Substantial attempts have been proposed to produce ecofriendly and secured oil-water separation technologies (e.g., membranes, mesh, sponge, etc.). 3 Due to their unparalleled capacity for oil adsorption and exceptional separation properties, three-dimensional (3-D) porous materials with distinctive wettability offer greater plausibility in separating the oil-water mixtures than alternative materials (1-D and 2-D). 6 An economical, compact 3-D melamine sponge (MS) with high elasticity, fire resistance, environmental friendliness, and an innate porous frame appears as a prospective approach in considerable oily wastewater treatment.…”

“…6 An economical, compact 3-D melamine sponge (MS) with high elasticity, fire resistance, environmental friendliness, and an innate porous frame appears as a prospective approach in considerable oily wastewater treatment. 3,7 Unfortunately, the inherent amphiphilicity of the MS inhibits the efficient oil removal from water. 8 As a result, enhancing the selectivity of the MS and altering the wettability is fundamental for amplifying its performance in oil-water mixture separation.…”

Facile Construction and Fabrication of a Superhydrophobic and Super Oleophilic Stainless Steel Mesh for Separation of Water and Oil

“…The cost-effective separation strategies of oil/water mixtures have become a hot topic due to the frequent occurrences of water pollution issues, such as organic wastewater emissions, chemical leaks, and crude oil spills [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. To date, a series of materials, including carbon aerogels [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ], cotton fabrics [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ], foams [ 13 , 14 , 15 ], and sponges [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ], have been explored, owing to the excellent hydrophobicity and high separation capacity. However, some materials are difficult to use in large-scale applications because of the complicated and high-cost separation process, secondary contamination, or poor recyclability.…”

Fabrication of eco‐friendly superhydrophobic and superoleophilic PHB‐SiO2 bionanofiber membrane for gravity‐driven oil/water separation

“…[17][18][19] Membrane-based separation, an improved purification and separation technique, has widely employed for treatment of oily wastewater when compared to the traditional oil-water separation method because of its binary functions of preventing and adsorbing the filter supplies as well as the advantages of simple preparation and operation, excellent separation efficiency, high flexibility and outstanding antifouling feature. 20,21 The choice of substrate membrane material in the production of an ideal membrane material used for oily separations which is of great importance and recently, many studies for oil-water separation have concentrated on superhydrophobic-superoleophilic surface modifications of porous substrate materials including fabrics/textiles, 22 polymeric membranes, 23 sponges, 24 filter papers 25 and metal meshes. 26,27 The metallic mesh-based SH-SO membranes have greater mechanical strength and permeableness, as well as less pressure drop in comparison to the porous membranes.…”