An ultra-light, superhydrophobic and thermal insulation ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene foam

Abstract

Multifunctional polymer foam becomes the tendency due to the single-functional foam is difficult to adapt the various complicated environments. However, preparing multifunctional porous ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) material with high porosity is still challenge. Thus, it is desirable to develop a simple and effective method that could integrate multiple functions into polymer foam. Herein, a multifunctional UHMWPE foam was fabricated via a facile thermally induced phase separation method. The foam displays a low density of 8.23 mg cm−3, high porosity of 99.2% and robust superhydrophobicity (water contact angle of 152°), thus exhibiting excellent adsorption capacity in oil-water separation under different extreme environments. Moreover, the thermal conductivity of the foam goes down to 11.6 mWm−1K−1, which endows the foam with great thermal insulation performance under various temperature conditions. Thus, this foam can meet the demands of various practical applications.