A mussel-inspired one-step modification has been developed to coat polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sponges with polydopamine/octadecylamine for oil sorption. The durable and hydrophobic sponge with self-healing properties may be useful to prevent the degradation by graphite particles residing on the material surfaces and maintain the oil/water separation efficiency. The coated PDMS sponge showed oil absorbency in the range from 830% to 4300% for various organic solvents, with the maximum absorption capacity reaching up to 43 times of its weight. Furthermore, PDMS sponges showed little loss of their absorption capacities and original weights after 20 absorbing/recovering cycles.

A novel poly(acrylonitrile‐co‐butadiene‐co‐styrene) (ABS) antistatic and flame‐retardant agent, poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate/methyl methacrylate/diethyl allylphosphonate (PMMD), was synthesized from poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate, methyl methacrylate, and diethyl allylphosphonate by free‐radical precipitation polymerization in the aqueous phase to improve the antistatic and flame‐retardant performance at the same time. Through adjustments of the molar ratios of the three monomers, various antistatic, flame‐retardant copolymers (PMMD) were synthesized. The molecular structure and thermal stability of PMMD were analyzed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The electrical resistivity and flame‐retardant and mechanical properties of the ABS/PMMD composites were analyzed by a ZC90 megohmmeter, an oxygen index meter, a vertical burning tester, a memory impact testing machine, and a tensile testing machine. The morphology of PMMD in the ABS blends was characterized with scanning electron microscopy. The compatibilities of PMMD and ABS were characterized by the calculation of the thermodynamic work of adhesion via the measurement of the contact angle. The results show that the antistatic and flame‐retardant performance of ABS were greatly improved by the PMMD copolymer and the mechanical properties of ABS showed little reduction. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 44126.