Design and Fabrication of Hydrophobic Hybrid Coatings Based on Epoxy Acrylate and Silsesquioxane for Efficient Oil/Water Separation

Epoxy acrylate (EA) resin has become one of the most widely used photocurable oligomers owing to its excellent properties, including fast curing speed, high hardness, good chemical resistance, and strong adhesion, demonstrating broad market potential in the field of UV-curable materials. In this work, a simple and mild dipping method was developed for preparing hydrophobic epoxy coatings. First, acryloyloxypropyl-functionalized silsesquioxane (SQ-PA) was fluorinated via a thiol–ene click reaction with perfluorooctanethiol to prepare an in situ SQ-F solution, while thiol-modified silica particles (SH-SiO2) were also prepared. Subsequently, a mixture of SH-SiO2, EA resin, and SQ-F solution was coated onto filter paper (FP), or a blend of EA resin and SQ-F solution was applied to a polyurethane sponge (PU). The successful incorporation of SQ-F and SH-SiO2 on FP and PU was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Experimental results indicate that the SQ-F/SH-SiO2/EA@FP composite effectively separates various oil/water mixtures with a separation efficiency of approximately 99%. Furthermore, the material exhibits self-cleaning properties, enabling the removal of liquid contaminants. Additionally, SQ-F/EA@PU demonstrates excellent lipophilicity and hydrophobicity, along with outstanding adsorption capacity for organic solvents and crude oil.