Thermoresponsive Melamine Sponges with Switchable Wettability by Interface-Initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization for Oil/Water Separation

Here we have obtained a temperature responsive melamine sponge with a controllable wettability between superhydrophilicity and superhydrophobicity by grafting the octadecyltrichlorosilane and thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) onto the surface of melamine sponge skeletons. The whole process included the silanization in which step the rough surface with low surface energy and the NH2 were provided, and the atom transfer radical polymerization which ensured the successful grafting of PNIPAAm onto the skeleton’s surface. The product exhibits a good reversible switch between superhydrophilicity and superhydrophobicity by changing the temperature below or above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST, about 32 °C) of PNIPAAm, and the modified sponge still retains a good responsiveness after undergoing two temperature switches for 20 cycles. Simultaneously, the functionalized sponges could be used to absorb the oil under water at 37 °C, and they released the absorbed oil in various ways under water at 20 °C, showing wide potential applications including oil/water separation.