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Hydrogel coatings that can endow various substrates with superior properties (e.g., biocompatibility, hydrophilicity, and lubricity) have wide applications in the fields of oil/water separation, antifouling, anti-bioadhesion, etc. Currently, the engineering of multifunctional hydrogel-coated materials with superwettability and water purification property using a simple and sustainable strategy is still largely uninvestigated but has a beneficial effect on the world. Herein, we successfully prepared poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) hydrogel/β-FeOOH-coated poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF/PAMPS/β-FeOOH) membrane through free-radical polymerization and the in situ mineralization process. In this work, owing to the combination of hydrophilic PAMPS hydrogel coating and β-FeOOH nanorods anchored onto PVDF membrane, the resultant PVDF/PAMPS/β-FeOOH membrane achieved outstanding superhydrophilicity/underwater superoleophobicity. Moreover, the membrane not only effectively separated surfactant-stabilized oil/water emulsions, but also possessed a long-term use capacity. In addition, excellent photocatalytic activity against organic pollutants was demonstrated so that the PVDF/PAMPS/β-FeOOH membrane could be utilized to deal with wastewater. It is envisioned that these hydrogel/β-FeOOH-coated PVDF membranes have versatile applications in the fields of oil/water separation and wastewater purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water pollution caused by industrial oily wastewater, is world-widely concerned by both scientific and practical researches, owing to its catastrophic destruction to natural environment, which highlights the urgency of producing green and advanced separation materials. Herein, a novel approach was proposed to fabricate oil-absorbing and oil/water-separating microcellular polypropylene (PP)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/sorbitol nanocomposites using a simple, green, and facile microcellular foaming technology. Owning to the effectively modified crystallization via introducing CNTs/sorbitol derivatives, the ultralight and highly-reticulated PP microcellular foam was prepared with an open-cell content of 99.4% and an expansion ratio of 50, which facilitated the creation of nano-porous structures on cell walls. Hence, the as-prepared PP nanocomposite foam presented pronounced absorption capacity of 40 g/g for applied oils with recovery efficiency of 97.2%, superior thermal-insulating and mechanical performance. Furthermore, the as-achieved unique hierarchical porous structures of the PP/CNT/sorbitol foam contributed to the outstanding oil/water separation capability, separation efficiency of up-to 97.6%, ascribed to its superhydrophobicity, capillary penetration action, high porosity and open-cell content. Therefore, this work provided new insight into the feasibility of advantageous, high-efficiency, environmentally friendly, and profitable PP-based foams as oil absorbents, which, to the best of our knowledge, outperform conventional polymer absorbents in treatment of oily wastewater. [Display omitted] • Superlight PP/CNT/sorbitol foams with high open-cell content were prepared by microcellular foaming. • Undifferentiated absorption capacities of more than 40 g/g for 10 kinds of oil were achieved by PP/CNT/sorbitol foams. • PP/CNT/sorbitol foams showed outstanding oil/water separation efficiencies, up to 97.6%. • PP/CNT/sorbitol foams exhibited thermal conductivity as low as 28.18 mW∙m-1∙K-1 with advanced compressive strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]