Robust Superhydrophobic Graphene Quantum Dots Coating Sponge As an Efficient Sorbent for Environmental Oil Spill Treatment

There is an immense need for efficient cleanup and recovery of crude oil spill in society today. Numerous oil spill catastrophes have resulted in the loss of billions of dollars due to the waste of products and treatment efforts, which now has drawn considerable attentions. Newly sorbent materials of excellent oil wettability to remove oil pollutants are highly required. In this study, a robust superhydrophobic graphene quantum dots layer was coated on the treated porous melamine sponge through freeze drying process. The eco-friendly surface functionalized graphene quantum dots sponge with a contact angle of 155.0 degree represented high oil absorption efficiency under various environmental conditions like temperatures, mechanic stress and water pH. The sponge also showed its good recyclability after 50 usage cycles, which develops great potential to work as an efficient oil spill sorbent in severe marine environments.