An unusual superhydrophilic/superoleophobic sponge for oil--water separation

Abstract

Development of porous materials with anti-fouling and remote control- lability is highly desired for oil–water separation application yet still challenging. Herein, to address this challenge, a sponge with unusual superhydrophilicity/superoleophobicity and magnetic property was fabricated through a dip-coating process. To exploit its superhydrophilic/superoleophobic property, the obtained sponge was used as a reusable water sorbent scaffold to collect water from bulk oils without absorbing any oil. Owing to its magnetic property, the sponge was manipulated remotely by a magnet without touching it directly during the whole water collection process, which could potentially lower the cost of the water collection process. Apart from acting as a water-absorbing material, the sponge can also be used as affiliation material to separate water from oil–water mixture and oil in water emulsion selectively, when fixed into a cone funnel. This research provides a key addition to the field of oil–water separation materials.

Keywords

superhydrophilicity / superoleophobicity / oil--water separation / sponge / water collection / anti-fouling property

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