Preparation and Study of Highly Hydrophobic and Strongly Oleophilic Reticulated Polyurethane Foam Surface Modified With Polydopamine and Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane

Abstract

Crude oil spills pose a significant pollution threat to the marine environment. Effective cleanup methods tailored for high-viscosity oil spills are essential. This study initially investigated the influence of pore size on the water and oil absorption capacities of reticulated polyurethane foam (PUF). Comparative experiments conducted with five distinct pore sizes ranging from 0.9 to 2.27 mm revealed that PUF with a pore size of 1.17 mm exhibited optimal adsorption performance for high-viscosity heavy oil (with an adsorption capacity of 38.0 g/g), albeit accompanied by a notable defect in water absorption (water absorption rate of 22.1 g/g). To address the poor hydrophobicity of the 1.17 mm PUF, modifications were introduced using polydopamine (PDA) and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) to develop a hydrophobic–oleophilic PUF@PDA-POSS composite material. The results indicated a 69.6% reduction in water absorption capacity for PUF@PDA-POSS compared to pure PUF (decreasing to 6.71 g/g), while the heavy oil adsorption capacity remained unchanged (at 39.1 g/g). After undergoing 10 adsorption–cleaning–regeneration cycles, PUF@PDA-POSS maintained over 90% of its initial adsorption performance, demonstrating excellent cyclic stability. This material combines high hydrophobicity, strong oil absorption capacity, environmental friendliness, and durability, thereby possessing significant application value in oil–water separation and marine oil spill remediation.