Disasters on the scale of the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon serve as harrowing reminders of the devastating effects uncontrolled oil spills have on the environment. Skimming, burning, and dispersing oil are only partially effective and carry their own ecological impacts. An enticing alternative strategy involves oil sorbents capable of efficient extraction of oil from water bodies, which in turn necessitates the design and implementation of novel materials. We extend methods of sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) traditionally only applied to nanometer scale thin films to create composite organic/inorganic oil sorbents based on macroscopic, commercially available polymeric foams. In situ infrared spectroscopy is utilized to track kinetics of interactions between molecular precursors and moieties on the polymer chains. Targeting superoleophilic and superhydrophobic chemistries, we demonstrate the propensity of SIS-based modifications in oil spill remediation and demonstrate its efficacy in crude oil sorption in model seawater.

Functionalized polymer foam sorbents for oil spill remediation

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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