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

摘要

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 155 degrees and 0 degrees, 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.