Synthesis and oil absorption of biomorphic MgAl Layered Double Oxide/acrylic ester resin by suspension polymerization

Abstract

In this paper, we reported on the synthesis, characterization, and the oil-absorbing properties of biomorphic MgAl Layered Double Oxide/acrylic ester resin by combining the biological template method and suspension polymerization method. The biomorphic MgAl Layered Double Oxides (LDO) were prepared by template-directed synthesis employing cotton fibers as templates. Then, oil-absorbing LDO/acrylic ester resin composites were synthesized by suspension polymerization in the presence of functional coupling agents. The oil-absorbing properties and thermal stability of as-synthesized composites were evaluated intensively as well. The morphology and structure of polymer-matrix composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Both acrylic ester resin and composite resin were used in the absorption of organics. The results indicated that oil-absorbing properties and thermal stability of polymer-matrix composites were improved significantly due to the nanocomposites with low particle content which the physico-chemical properties were superior to the pristine polymer. The composites showed excellent stability over 5 cycles of use and regeneration without significant decrease in the oil absorption. These results suggested that the oil absorbents may potentially be useful as next-generation oil absorbent materials for the remediation of the maritime ecosystem in the wake of a massive oil spill.