title: Polymer/reduced graphene oxide functionalized sponges as superabsorbents for oil removal and recovery.
abstract: Polyurethane dish-washing (PU-DW) sponges are functionalized sequentially with polyethylenimine (PEI) and graphene oxide (GO) to form PEI/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) PU-DW sponges. The PEI/RGO PU-DW sponge consists of PEI/RGO sheets having numerous pores, with diameters ranging from 236 to 254nm. To further enhance hydrophobicity and absorption capacity of oil, PEI/RGO PU-DW sponge is further coated with 20% phenyltrimethoxysilane (PTMOS). The PTMOS/PEI/RGO PU-DW sponge absorbs various oils within 20s, with maximum absorption capacity values of 880% and 840% for bicycle chain oil and motorcycle engine oil, respectively. The absorbed oils were released completely by squeezing or immersed in hexane. The PTMOS/PEI/RGO PU-DW sponge efficiently separates oil/water mixtures through a flowing system. Having the advantages of faster absorption rate, reusability, and low cost, the PTMOS/PEI/RGO PU-DW sponge holds great potential as a superabsorbent for efficient removal and recovery of oil spills as well as for the separation of oil/water mixtures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Arun Prakash
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Periasamy
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Ping
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan; Nanoscience and Technology Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Rini
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ravindranath
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Prathik
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Guan-Lin
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan; Department of Chemistry, Chung Yuan Christian University, Chungli District, Taoyuan, 32023, Taiwan.. Electronic address: changht@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Huan-Tsung
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D005648:Fuel Oils / Q000032:analysis*; D006108:Graphite / Q000737:chemistry*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry; D059392:Petroleum Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D016062:Porosity; D013499:Surface Properties; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D005648:Fuel Oils; D010087:Oxides; D011140:Polyurethanes; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D006108:Graphite
keywords: Functional sponges; Marine water pollution; Oil removal; Oil/water separation; Polymers; Reduced graphene oxide