Ce-MOF-based superhydrophobic polyurethane sponge reinforced by cellulose for efficient oil-water separation

It is extremely significant to manufacture materials with simple and low-cost synthetic method for the disposal of large-scale oil spills and environmental pollution caused by the illegal discharge of oily wastewater. In this paper, cerium metal-organic framework (Ce-MOF), 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H per-fluorodecyltrimethoxysilane (PFOTS) and cellulose were used as raw materials to prepare polyurethane hydrophobic sponges (PU) interconnected by chemical bonds to improve physical properties perfor-mance. The sponge shows excellent superhydrophobicity with a surface water contact angle (WCA) of 152.53 +/- 0.8 degrees. It has high mechanical strength and oil absorption capacity for various oils/organic sol-vents up to 15.0-44.9 times its weight. It is more imortant that C-F-Ce@PU can separate immiscible oil -water mixtures driven by vacuum pump or gravity. Superhydrophobic/oleophilic C-F-Ce@PU can also be used to separate water-in-oil emulsions. The above characteristics provide a reference for its practical application in oil-water separation.(c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

It is highly important to develop materials with simple and cost-effective synthetic methods for the treatment of large-scale oil spills and environmental pollution caused by illegal discharge of oily wastewater. In this study, polyurethane hydrophobic sponges (PU) interconnected by chemical bonds were prepared using cerium metal-organic framework (Ce-MOF), per-fluorodecyltrimethoxysilane (PFOTS), and cellulose as raw materials to enhance their physical properties. The resulting sponge exhibits excellent superhydrophobicity, high mechanical strength, and oil absorption capacity. It can efficiently separate immiscible oil-water mixtures and water-in-oil emulsions. These characteristics make it a promising material for practical applications in oil-water separation.