Facile fabrication of ink-based conductive hydrophobic melamine sponge for oil/water separation and oils detection

Abstract

Hydrophobic sponges with exceptional oil sorption capacity have attracted extensive attention due to their promising applications in the field of leaked oil treatment and environmental remediation. Despite many strategies being brought out, the preparation of low-cost conductive and hydrophobic sponges for oil contaminant remediation and oils detection remains a challenge. In this work, we fabricated non-fluorinated, conductive, and hydrophobic sponge through a facile way of modifying the melamine sponge with pen ink and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The prepared hydrophobic sponge exhibited good oil sorption performance to various oils, absorbing more than 1000% of its own weight and maintaining its excellent recyclability after 20 absorption-squeezing cycles. In addition, the hydrophobic sponge is robust under various harsh conditions, including mechanical squeezing, UV radiation, acid environment, and alkaline environment. With the aid of a peristaltic pump, the hydrophobic sponge can provide efficient and continuous oil/water separation. More importantly, the sponge could also detect oils because the conductivity of the sponge changes as it absorbs oil. The preparation method for the conductive hydrophobic sponge by modification with ink and PDMS is simple and cost-effective, thus promising scalable applications in leaked oil treatment and environmental remediation.