Preparation and morphology control of three-dimensional interconnected microporous PDMS for oil sorption

This study described an approach to impart controlled morphology and improved pore interconnectivity to poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) sponges for oil sorption by partially fusing the sugar particles together prior to creation of a continuous PDMS matrix. PDMS sponges with high absorption capacity, low water pickup, and remarkable reusability were fabricated by the polymerization of the PDMS prepolymer and a curing agent in cyclohexane. The PDMS sponge showed oil absorbency in the range from 790% to 4000% for various oils solvents, with the maximum absorption capacity reaching up to 23 times of its weight. Compressive modulus of PDMS subjected to sugar fusion for 24hr was significantly increased to 1900Mpa. The sponge also exhibited excellent repellency to corrosive strong acid and alkali. Besides, oil can be quickly adsorbed in tens of seconds and maintained for several months. Furthermore, PDMS sponges showed little loss of their absorption capacities and owned weights after 20 absorbing/recovering cycles. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.