STUDY OF A MODIFIED MELAMINE SPONGE AND ITS LIPOPHILIC AND HYDROPHOBIC PROPERTIES

Abstract

In this study, silicone rubber and silicone oil were used to modify melamine sponge to obtain lipophilic and hydrophobic properties. The result showed that the modification had no effect on the intrinsic properties of sponges such as the structure and elasticity. After modification, the melamine sponge changed from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic, and the contact angle could reach 155.7°. In addition, this sponge also maintained its good oil-absorption performance and showed its excellent selective oil absorption in an oil-water mixture. Using xylene to simulate pollutants, the oil-absorption rate of the modified sponge could reach 44 g/g while the contact angle and oil-absorption rate of the sponge showed no significant changes after 20 cycles of oil-absorption experiments. The sponge showed a reliable and stable oil-absorption effect after repeated extrusion cycle experiments. The above experiments proved that the modification method and modified sponge have broad application prospects in oil-water separation.