Fabrication of superhydrophobic fibre and its application to selective oil spill removal

• The cotton-based absorbents were fabricated using simple dip-coated method.
• The superhydrophobic absorbents can selectively absorb oil from oil/water mixture.
• The superhydrophobic oil-absorbents show an outstanding recyclability.

Hydrophobic SiO2 nanoparticles were prepared by depositing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) on SiO2. By dip-coating a solution of PDMS-coated SiO2 and adhesives dissolved in hexane, cotton and kapok surfaces were modified. The dip-coated cotton and kapok showed high repellency towards water with a water contact angle exceeding 150°. High selectivity towards oil sorption from oil/water mixture was also achieved. The dip-coated cotton and kapok were shown to be able to absorb a quantity of oil ∼20–60 times their own weight, depending on the type of oil. It was also demonstrated that the absorbed oil can be mechanically extracted from the absorbent and the absorbent can be reused.

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