In this article, rice hull (RH) was used in the moulding of polyurethane (PU) foam system. The article analyzed the participation of RH in the chemical reaction of PU synthesis with Attenuated Total Reflection‐Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy method. Besides, the influence of RH on the formation of pore structure along with the acoustic performance such as sound impedance rate, acoustic reflection factor, sound absorption coefficient, and transmission loss of the products were studied with the Transfer Function Method. The results indicated that RH significantly influenced the uniformity of pore diameter in PU foam. As the content of RH increased, the sound absorption peak shifted toward lower frequency region. And the sound absorption coefficients increased till a threshold value of RH content. POLYM. COMPOS., 34:1847–1855, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers

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A superhydrophobic and superoleophilic copper mesh with excellent oil–water separation efficiency was successfully fabricated via electrodeposition and then surface modification with lauric acid. The surface morphologies, chemical composition, and wettability were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and water contact angle (WCA) measurements. It was found that the as-prepared surface is both superhydrophobic and superoleophilic, with static WCA values as high as 155.5° ± 3° and an oil contact angle (OCA) of 0°. Furthermore, the as-prepared surface exhibited excellent oil–water separation efficiency including petroleum, toluene, hexane, gasoline and diesel, even after being recycled 10 times. In addition, the as-prepared copper mesh shows self-cleaning character with water and chemical stability. This study provides a facile, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly route to fabricate large-scale and excellent oil–water separation surface with high separation efficiency for a great number of potential applications.

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