Abstract:
To cope with the increasing frequency of oil spills and to achieve the purification of oily waters, FeNi
2O
4−doped vinyl methacrylate-diethylenebenzene copolymer porous materials were fabricated via a high-internal-phase Pickering emulsion templating method. The material structure was characterised using FTIR, SEM, TGA, VSM, contact angle measurement, static mercury piezometry and universal testing machine. The results show that the material possesses a three-dimensional porous structure with pore sizes mainly distributed at 3 μm and 6-14 μm, and the large pore size can be modified. The material demonstrates good thermal stability with an initial thermal decomposition temperature of up to 300℃. The introduction of FeNi
2O
4 nanoparticles not only enhances the emulsion stability but also imparts magnetic responsiveness to the material. The materials exhibit good hydrophobicity and lipophilicity, with water contact angle of 151°, rolling angle of 5° and oil contact angle of 0°, fast oil absorption rate, good reusability and excellent oil-water adsorption selectivity. Its saturation adsorption multiplicity for a variety of oils and organic solvents reaches 40.80-93.08 g·g
−1, and the oil retention rate are all above 90%. The pore structure regulation of the material was investigated and it was found that changing the internal comparison of the emulsion could regulate the macropore distribution, porosity, density, specific surface area, oil adsorption multiplicity and mechanical property of the material. In summary, superhydrophobic FeNi
2O
4/vinyl methacrylate-diethylenebenzene copolymer porous materials can efficiently separate oil from water, which is of practical significance for the treatment and purification of the aqueous environment.