Facile removal of oils from water surfaces through highly hydrophobic and magnetic polymer nanocomposites

In this study, magnetic polymer nanocomposites were investigated as highly selective absorbent materials for removing oils from water surfaces. The nanocomposites with highly hydrophobic and superoleophilic surface were synthesized through a low-cost emulsion polymerization, and exhibited some practical properties including unsinkability, thermal stability and corrosive-resistance for real applications. These as-prepared nanoparticles could effectively absorb three kinds of oils up to above 3.63 times of the particles' weight while completely repelling water. It is very easy to collect the oil-absorbed nanoparticles by applying an external magnetic field. Besides, the oil could be readily removed from the surfaces of nanoparticles by a simple ultrasonic treatment, and the nanocomposites still kept highly hydrophobic and oleophilic characteristics after repeatedly removing oils from water surface for many cycles. The findings of this study might provide a convenient method for fast and selective removal of oils from the surface of water.