Dual-network engineered superhydrophobic foam with synergistic photothermal/Joule heating for efficient crude-oil...

Crude oil spills, particularly involving high-viscosity oils, present a persistent and severe threat to marine ecosystems, where conventional cleanup methods often fail due to the intrinsic rheological resistance of dense oils. To address this critical challenge, we report a dual-network structured superhydrophobic composite foam engineered via interfacial co-assembly of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), acidified carbon nanotubes (ACNTs), and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) on a styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) scaffold. This hierarchical architecture integrates a robust low-surface-energy coating with a continuous conductive-photothermal network, enabling synergistic photothermal and Joule-heating responses. The foam exhibits rapid thermal activation, achieving 50.8 °C under 1 sun (1.0 kW m^-2) solar irradiation and approaching ∼106 °C at only 1.0 V, thereby inducing a pronounced viscosity drop in high-viscosity crude oils. By actively modulating interfacial rheology, the material transcends the diffusion-limited adsorption behavior typical of passive sorbents. As a result, the composite foam delivers markedly enhanced crude-oil uptake capacity and maintains stable performance over multiple regeneration cycles. This study establishes a facile interfacial-engineering strategy for constructing multifunctional, thermally responsive superhydrophobic foams, offering a compelling platform for high efficiency recovery of viscous oils and advanced intelligent oil/water separation technologies.