A multifunctional non‐fluorinated flame retardant superhydrophobic 3‐D porous material for highly selective oil spill treatment and removal of dyes

Abstract The environment and global healthcare are at risk from oily wastewater accumulation and spills. Hence, porous sponge materials are widely sought for remedial oil cleanups. Materials with superhydrophobic and photocatalytic characteristics are implemented for extensive use besides oil–water separation, self‐cleaning, and removal of dyes. Regardless of the various upsides, few materials display both of these features jointly. Most nanomaterial photocatalysts are susceptible to the action of ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation, which often inhibits their hydrophobicity. Here in this work, a photocatalyst such as ZnO was coated on a porous 3‐D melamine sponge (MS). To preserve the hydrophobicity without sacrificing the photocatalytic behavior, ZnO coated melamine sponge was modified with transparent polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to obtain MS/ZnO/PDMS. The obtained superhydrophobic photocatalytic sponge exhibits exceptional oil adsorption capacity, superior stability even under severe conditions and the ability to remove organic dyes. Remarkably, the sponge exhibits outstanding compressive strength and fire resistance properties, indicating the possible utilization in a prolonged practical execution. As a result, this technique might pave the way for the creation of a comprehensive design for an improved superhydrophobic photocatalytic sponge with high stability and recyclability.