Analysis of Superhydrophobic-Superoleophilic Properties on Modification of Polyurethane Sponge for Selective Oil-Water Separation

Niken Aprilia Eka Putri (Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta)
Arif Tjahjono (Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University, Ir. H. Djuanda St, No.95, Cempaka Putih, Ciputat, South Tangerang, Banten 15412, Indonesia)
Perdamean Sebayang (Research Center for Physics, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), South Tangerang, Banten, 15314, Indonesia)

Al-Fiziya: Journal of Materials Science, Geophysics, Instrumentation and Theoretical Physics
Al-Fiziya: Journal of Materials Science, Geophysics, Instrumentation and Theoretical Physics | Vol.4

In this research, a modification of polyurethane (PU) sponge material has been made to obtain superhydrophobic-superoleophilic properties. The PU sponge was coated with several nanomaterials such as ZnO, Fe3O4+TEOS, and stearic acid by dip-coating and drop-coating methods. The tests include selective separation of oil and water with a magnetic response. Several types of oil and organic solvents were tested for absorption capacity. The results showed that the PU@ZnO@Fe3O4@SA sponge has a good absorption capacity, from 4.37 mL to 7.37 mL. The fabricated PU sponge could selectively separate oil from water with a separation efficiency above 99%. The fabricated PU sponge also could be magnetically driven by external magnetic fields. From the characterization using 3D OM, the water contact angle was 153.38°, which indicates that the PU@ZnO@Fe3O4@SA sponge is superhydrophobic. And from surface morphology obtained an average pore size diameter of 167.475 μm.