Fabrication of hydrophobic and oleophilic polyurethane foam sponge modified with hydrophobic Al2O3 for oil/water separation

In current work, hydrophobic and oleophilic polyurethane (Al2O3/PUF) foam sponge was prepared by foaming technology. The material was characterized by XRD, TEM, BET, SEM and water contact angles (CA). The Al2O3/PUF was applied to removal of oil or organic solvent from oil/water system. Water contact angle of Al2O3/PUF could exceed 140 degrees. The absorption capacity of Al2O3/PUF could be obtained 37 g/g and found to be reusable up to 10 cycles while maintaining its high absorption capacity. The result indicated that prepared foam sponge has good potential application in oil water separation. (C) 2017 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.