Superhydrophobic melamine sponge prepared by radiation-induced grafting technology for efficient oil-water separation

This paper presents a superhydrophobic melamine (ME) sponge (ME-g-PLMA) prepared via high-energy radiation-induced in situ covalent grafting of long-alkyl-chain dodecyl methacrylate (LMA) onto an ME sponge for efficient oil-water separation. The obtained ME-g-PLMA sponge had an excellent pore structure with superhydrophobic (water contact angle of 154 degrees\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$154<^>\circ$$\end{document}) and superoleophilic properties. It can absorb various types of oils up to 66-168 times its mass. The ME-g-PLMA sponge can continuously separate oil slicks in water by connecting a pump or separating oil underwater with a gravity-driven device. In addition, it maintained its highly hydrophobic properties even after long-term immersion in different corrosive solutions and repeated oil adsorption. The modified ME-g-PLMA sponge exhibited excellent separation properties and potential for oil spill cleanup.