Facile preparation of TiO2/SiO2/modified polystyrene resin composite superhydrophobic coatings for self-cleaning and oil/water separation

作者：Zhao, Si; Lv, Zaosheng; Lei, Yang; Huang, Yanfen^*

来源：Colloid and Polymer Science, 2023, 301(1): 1-10.

DOI：10.1007/s00396-022-05032-7

• Superhydrophobicity
• Solution polymerization
• Self-cleaning
• Water/oil separation

Various methods have been exploited to treat oil/water mixtures, but they are not suitable for widespread application due to high cost or low efficiency. Superhydrophobic materials with water-repellent and lipophilic are desirable materials for the separation. Here, composite superhydrophobic coatings, capable of applying to a variety of substrates, were developed using a simple co-blending method of dispersing fumed TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and hydrophobic silica sol into non-fluorinated modified polystyrene resin (MPS). The properties of the coating were investigated by a variety of techniques such as FTIR, FESEM, TG-DSC, and contact angle measurement. The results suggested that the surface had exceptional superhydrophobicity with the WCA as high as 160.8 degrees. The coating remained superhydrophobic after 3 times of sandpaper abrasion. The superhydrophobic surface had excellent self-cleaning properties and could be applied to separate the oil/water mixture. The separation efficiency could be over 96% and remained stable after 5 cycles. It is a great prospect in the treatment of oily wastewater. Furthermore, the reagents and instruments used during the procedure are easily available, so it has the potential for production in large quantities.