In-situ synthesis of superhydrophobic PLA-UiO-66-NH2@MS melamine sponge composite for high efficiency oil/water separation

In recent years, oil and organic solvent pollution of water bodies have deteriorated water quality, harmed ecosystems, and presented serious concerns to human health and biodiversity. Traditional oil/water separation technologies are inefficient, consume a lot of energy, and are difficult to operate. As a result, finding efficient, environmentally beneficial, and long-term separation solutions to manage water pollution is challenging. This paper proposes UNP@MS, a MOF-based sponge material to achieve superhydrophobicity and super lipophilicity, the material is developed on a melamine sponge loaded with UiO-66-NH2 and grafted with a polylactic acid (PLA) component. It achieves a remarkable oil/water separation efficiency of 99% even under difficult conditions (such as acidic or alkaline solutions) and displays exceptional separation efficiency for various oils. Furthermore, the oil absorption capacity maintains at 85% after ten cycles of oil absorption, exhibiting outstanding stability.