Synthesis of highly hydrophobic floating magnetic polymer nanocomposites for the removal of oils from water surface

•A novel, economic and environment-friendly core-shell composite material.•The core of nanocomposites was magnetic hollow Fe3O4 NPs.•The magnetic nanocomposites had water-repellent and oil-absorbing surfaces.•Fe3O4@PS prepared with a simple two-step method could float on water surface.•Fe3O4@PS showed an important application in the removal of organic pollutants.

The removal of organic contaminants, particularly oil spills from water surface is of great technological importance for environmental protection. In this article, we present a novel, economic and environment-friendly core-shell composite material based on magnetic hollow Fe3O4 nanoparticles (MNPs) that was fabricated by two-step process, which can fast and efficiently separate oils from water surface under a magnetic field. The magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (MNPs) were coated with a polystyrene layer successfully to form water-repellent and oil-absorbing surfaces, which could float on water and selectively absorb lubricating oil up to 3 times of the particles' weight while completely repelling water. More importantly, the oils could be readily removed from the surfaces of nanocomposites by a simple treatment and the nanocomposites still kept highly hydrophobic and superoleophilic characteristics, so the nanocomposites have an excellent recyclability in the oil-absorbent capacity. Several techniques such as transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used in the characterization of the materials. In addition, magnetic force and oils removal capability tests were also performed. It will open up a potential and broad application in wastewater treatment.