Nanoscaled Surface Modification of Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Using Carbon Nanotubes for Enhanced Oil and Organic Solvent Absorption.

ABSTRACT: This article demonstrates a novel nanoscale surface modification method to enhance the selectivity of porous poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) in removing oil from water. The surface modification method is simple and low cost by using sugar as a sacrificial template for temporal adhering of carbon nanotubes (CNT) before addition of PDMS prepolymer to encapsulate the CNT on its surface once polymerized. The PDMS-CNT demonstrated a tremendous increase in absorption capacity up to 3-fold compared to previously reported absorbents composed solely of PDMS. Besides showcasing excellent absorption capacity, the PDMS-CNT also shows a faster absorption rate (25 s) as compared to that of pure PDMS (40 s). The enhanced absorption rate is due to the incorporation of CNT, which roughens the surface of the

SUBMITTER: Ong CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6643743 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature