A Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Sponge for the Selective Absorption of Oil from Water

TLDR

The study introduces a sugar‑templated PDMS sponge designed to selectively absorb oil from water. The sponge is fabricated via a simple, non‑hazardous sugar‑templating method that requires no complex synthesis or equipment. The sponge can be elastically deformed, compressed repeatedly, and its absorbed oils can be squeezed out for reuse, while its absorption capacity is enhanced by selecting appropriate sugar particles.

Abstract

We present a sugar-templated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sponge for the selective absorption of oil from water. The process for fabricating the PDMS sponge does not require any intricate synthesis processes or equipment and it is not environmentally hazardous, thus promoting potential in environmental applications. The proposed PDMS sponge can be elastically deformed into any shape, and it can be compressed repeatedly in air or liquids without collapsing. Therefore, absorbed oils and organic solvents can be readily removed and reused by simply squeezing the PDMS sponge, enabling excellent recyclability. Furthermore, through appropriately combining various sugar particles, the absorption capacity of the PDMS sponge is favorably optimized.