Superhydrophobic Thermoplastic Polyurethane Foam Fabricated by Phase Separation and Silica Coating for Oil‐Water Separation

Abstract

Oil spills and the presence of oily wastewater have resulted in substantial ecological damage. Superhydrophobic polymer foam with selectivity and adsorption capacity is a promising candidate for efficient oil‐water separation. In this study, a method that combines phase separation and silica coating to produce superhydrophobic thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) foam is proposed. The TPU foam demonstrates superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 155.62°, and exhibits a maximum saturated adsorption capacity of 54.11 g g⁻¹. Furthermore, the foam can be utilized as a filter for oil‐water separation, maintaining its filtration efficiency (41.2 m³ m² h⁻¹) even after ten filtration cycles.