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Superhydrophobic and magnetic PS/Fe3O4 sponge for remote oil removal under magnetic driven, continuous oil collection, and oil/water emulsion separation

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Abstract

Superhydrophobic and magnetic materials with multiple functions (e.g., continuous oil collection, remote oil removal in confined spaces under magnetic driven, separation of oil/water emulsions, and good oil absorption capacity with robust stability) are highly required for practical oily wastewater remediation, but still a challenge to be realized. For this purpose, superhydrophobic Fe3O4 nanoparticles/polystyrene (PS) composite sponge has been fabricated via high internal phase emulsion template method. The as-prepared sponge exhibits high water-repellence and superoleophilicity with water/oil contact angles are 155º and 0º, respectively. Given the magnetic properties of Fe3O4, our sponge displays the capacity for remote oil capture under magnetic driven. Additionally, continuous oil collection has been also realized with the equipment of pumper. Different from some previous reported sponges, our sponge also possesses the unique ability to separate surfactant stabilized oil/water emulsion. Besides, our sponge can also act as a high-efficiency oil absorbent with robust cycling stability (oil recovery rate can reach 92%, even after 10 absorption-centrifugation cycles). These outstanding functions make our sponge hold great potential for the purification of oily wastewater.

Graphical abstract

This work reported a simple and environmentally-friendly approach to prepare multi-functional magnetic and superhydrophobic sponges via high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) method. The PS/Fe3O4 composite sponges exhibited unique properties: (i) high water-repellence and good oleophilicity; (ii) the function as a high-efficiency oil absorbent with robust cycling stability; (iii) ability to remove oil remotely under magnetic driven; (iv) continuous oil collection; (v) the capacity to separate surfactant stabilized oil/water emulsion. These outstanding performances make our sponge is of great importance for practical oily wastewater remediation.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2019YFE0120300) and the Southwest Petroleum University College Student Open Experiment Key Project (2020KSZ05025).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of New Energy and Materials, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, 610500, China

    Haoran Huang, Xin Li, Chunxia Zhao, Longbin Zhu, Yuntao Li, Yuanpeng Wu & Zhenyu Li

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  1. Haoran Huang
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Correspondence to Chunxia Zhao or Yuntao Li.

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Huang, H., Li, X., Zhao, C. et al. Superhydrophobic and magnetic PS/Fe3O4 sponge for remote oil removal under magnetic driven, continuous oil collection, and oil/water emulsion separation. J Mater Sci 57, 336–350 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-021-06568-9

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