Interfacial engineering of melamine sponges using hydrophobic TiO2 nanoparticles for effective oil/water separation

In this study, the surface modified TiO2 nanoparticles have been synthesized with oleic acid and trifiuoroacetic acid (TFAA) as surfactants. The as-prepared TiO2 nanoparticles reveal small particle size with narrow distribution, excellent dispersibility and high hydrophobicity. By interfacial modifying the melamine sponge with the hydrophobic TiO2 nanoparticle, the wettability of the modified sponge can be tailored to be superhydrophobic to water while superoleophilic to oils. Combining with the porous structure of melamine sponge and the excellent hydrophobicity of the coated TiO2, the modified sponge exhibits large absorption capacity (up to 88.1 g/g for chloroform), good selectivity and high recyclability for a wide range of oils and organic solvents. The results indicate that the TiO2 modified sponges may potentially be useful as next-generation oil adsorbent materials. (C) 2016 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.