Facile Fabrication of Superhydrophobic and Magnetic Poly(lactic acid) Nonwoven Fabric for Oil–Water Separation

The fabrication of an eco-friendly superhydrophobic material for oil–water separation is of important theoretical and practical significance. Herein, we proposed a facile method to fabricate a superhydrophobic and magnetic poly(lactic acid) (SMPLA) nonwoven fabric. First, polydopamine (PDA) was formed by polymerization of dopamine on the fabric surface to provide strong adhesion force, and then, in situ generated iron oxide (Fe3O4) particles were immobilized on the PDA layer to construct surface roughness and endow the fabric with magnetic property. Finally, the fabric was further coated with poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) to decrease the surface energy. The obtained SMPLA nonwoven fabric exhibited superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 151.7° and possessed strong resistances to organic solvents, acids, alkalis, and boiling water, as well as abrasion. Owing to the excellent water repellency, the fabric also demonstrated good self-cleaning capability. In addition, the fabric was able to absorb organic solvents high up to 36 times of its own weight, and the oil–water separation efficiency reached up to 99.5%. Moreover, the fabric was also driven by a magnet to separate the oil floating at the specified area on water surface. Our method is facile, cost-effective, and scalable, and the superhydrophobic and magnetic fabric with degradable PLA as a substrate is highly promising to be applied in the treatment of practical oil pollution.