Durable Superhydrophobic/Superoleophilic Graphene-Based Foam for High-Efficiency Oil Spill Cleanups and Recovery

One of the most pervasive environmental issues is the frequent oil spills that happen during oil production and transportation processes. This global challenge calls for emerging materials that can effectively separate oil pollutants from water. Here, a facile and feasible method to fabricate a high-performance oil absorbent (ODA-rGO@MF) through the coating of octadecylamine-grafted reduced graphene oxide (ODA-rGO) on the skeleton of commercial melamine foam (MF) is reported. The resultant foam not only possesses the hierarchical pore structure, superior compressibility, and mechanical stability of the original foam but also exhibits high water repellency, superhydrophobicity, and durability under harsh conditions, such as in strongly acidic (alkaline) and salty solutions. The superhydrophobicity of ODA-rGO@MF was created by employing the microarchitecture of MF, forming the rough rGO nanoscale wrinkles on the foam skeletons and further reducing the surface energy by octadecylamine (ODA). These fascinating characteristics make the functionalized foam an excellent oil absorbent with a high absorption capacity (44–111 times its own weight) and extraordinary recyclability. More importantly, the inexpensive materials and low-cost fabrication technique make it possible for large-scale production. Thus, the as-prepared foam has the potential to be used as a promising absorbent for oil-spill cleanups.