Emulsion-derived hierarchically porous polystyrene solid foam for oil removal from aqueous environment

Abstract

Herein, a high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) technique to fabricate hierarchically porous monolithic Fe 3 O 4 /polystyrene composite material has been described. A novel co-stabilizer system of Span 20 and Fe 3 O 4 solid particles was adopted to prepare the styrene-based emulsion. By adjusting the surfactant level, the concentration of Fe 3 O 4 particles, and water content, a hierarchically interconnected porous material with a secondary pore structure of nano/micro size was constructed. In addition, the resulting composite polymer material exhibited excellent thermal stability, attributing to the good dispersion of Fe 3 O 4 particles in the polymer matrix and strong bonding between solid particles and polymer chains.Moreover, the oil adsorption capacity of the solid foam was 16 times its own mass even after 10 cycles of oil/water separation. Importantly, the polystyrene solid foam exhibited hydrophobicity and oleophilicity without any further modification. Moreover, the incorporation of Fe 3 O 4 particles allowed the composite material to be conveniently collected under an external magnetic field. All these features together make the polystyrene composite material an ideal adsorbent in the oil/water separation.

Air Activated Self‐Decontaminating Polydicyclopentadiene PolyHIPE Foams for Rapid Decontamination of Chemical Warfare Agents

“…In particular, polyHIPE materials offer a simple and scalable approach to the design of polymeric foams that could be utilized as detoxifying media. As illustrated in Figure a, the fabrication of polyDCPD foams was consistent with other HIPE templating procedures: DCPD monomer and Pluronic L121, forming the continuous organic phase, were slowly combined with deionized water, the dispersed aqueous phase, under vigorous mixing to form a stable emulsion that was crosslinked and subsequently purified. The surfactant comprised 10% v/v of the DCPD monomer volume and the molar ratio of catalyst to monomer was 0.014%.…”

“…These porous polymer foams, or polyHIPEs, are synthesized by dispersing an “internal” phase, constituting at least 74% of the total volume, throughout a continuous “external” phase that is crosslinked and dried to create large spherical voids with smaller interconnecting pores . PolyHIPEs have demonstrated tremendous potential for application as biomaterials and filtration/chromatography media; styrenic copolymer polyHIPEs have even demonstrated effectiveness at swelling and immobilizing CWA . Recently, Kovacic et al demonstrated the ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of polyHIPE monoliths composed of dicyclopentadiene and norbornene; the polydicyclopentadiene (polyDCPD) polyHIPEs exhibited impressive mechanical properties and demonstrated utility as porous scaffolds for the in situ synthesis of zinc‐ and copper‐based MOFs .…”

Preparation of a porous superhydrophobic foam from waste plastic and its application for oil spill cleanup

“…The oil adsorption capacity was higher than that reported for similar-functioning foams, sponges and resins. 21,35,36 A series of foams were obtained by modifying the content of dispersed water (water volume ranging from 6 mL to 18 mL), and they expressed a signicantly regular distinction in oil adsorption capacity. The increase in water content was clearly found to improve the oil adsorption capacity.…”

“…The resultant PDA/DDT@MF could selectively adsorb various oils or organic solvents with the adsorption capacity being up to 98.6 times over its own weight. Zhang et al [19][20][21] prepared a polystyrene (PS) foam by a template polymerization from a high internal phase emulsion (HIPE), in which Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles or carbonyl iron powders were added to stabilize the emulsion and bring magnetic responsiveness to the obtained materials. The magnetic foam exhibited a high oil/water selectivity with oil adsorption of 57 g g À1 .…”

Preparation of highly interconnected porous polymer microbeadsviasuspension polymerization of high internal phase emulsions for fast removal of oil spillage from aqueous environments

“…Zhang et al described superhydrophobic P(St-DVB) foam prepared by the HIPE technique introduced with Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles for oil removal applications. 38,39 Later, they reported spongy polystyrene by dual-templating synthesis for oil capture with excellent adsorption properties. 40 Guo's group described a novel strategy to prepare HIPE organogels by charge-driven assembly of a triblock ionomer and an inorganic nanoparticle 41 or a polypropylenimine dendrimer, 42 which can be used as oil absorbent.…”