Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Transport of Surface-modified Carbon Nanotubes through a Soil Column
Published on: April 2, 2015
Superhydrophobic Polyurethane Foam Coated with Polysiloxane-Modified Clay Nanotubes for Efficient and Recyclable Oil
Fan Wu1, Kylene Pickett2, Abhishek Panchal2
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering , Jinan University , Guangzhou 510632 , China.
Abstract:
Superhydrophobic polyurethane foam (PUF) is prepared by surface coating of halloysite nanotubes. The nanotubes were first modified by surface grafting with hexadecyltrimethoxysilane, followed by assembly on the PUF by dip coating. This treatment makes the water contact angle of the modified PUF higher than 150°. The modified foam has a highly selective absorption of oils and organic solvents. The absorption ratios of the modified PUF for chloroform and dichloroethane reached 104 and 74, respectively. Such superhydrophobic foam can maintain the oil absorption performance even after 10 absorption-squeezing cycles, demonstrating good recyclability. The modified foam can pick up oil or organic solvent continuously and quickly from water's surface. This hydrophobic nanotube coating also enhances the flame retardancy of the PUF, and the modified foam will extinguish itself maintaining its integrity. The preparation method for hydrophobic and flame-retardant PUF by coating with natural clay nanotubes is a simple process and promises scalable applications in oil-water separation.
Related Concept Videos
Drug Absorption: Factors Affecting GI Absorption
Recycling Endosomes and Transcytosis
The recycling endosome is not a single organelle but an extensively tubulated network of recycling pathways. It functions in storing molecules or transporting them across...
Carbohydrate Absorption
After being swallowed, the partially digested carbohydrates mix with gastric secretions in the stomach. However, the acidic environment...
Absorption of Nutrients
Enterocytes, which are specialized polar epithelial cells, line the mucosa of the small intestinal walls. These cells...
Protein Absorption
Lipid Absorption
These breakdown products bind with bile salts and lecithin to form micelles, which quickly pass between microvilli to come in close contact with the apical...

