An efficient tool for oil spill cleanup has been developed as a nanofibrous sorbent material by an international research team. A highly porous fluorinated polyimide is synthesized by electrospinning and used to form reusable mats which absorb oil and repel water.

Researchers from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia, and University of Manchester, U.K., fabricated the mats with the polymer formed by the reaction of Schematic of the porous nanofibrous mat concept employing an intrinsically microporous polyimide. Source: Fuat Topuz et al.(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride and 2,4,6-trimethyl-m-phenylenediamine. The mats formed by electrospinning incorporated an extensive network of pores and created a surface area of 565 m²/g of oil-adsorbing material. Incorporation of water-repellent trifluoromethyl groups in the molecular structure enhanced adsorptive properties to reject water while soaking up nonpolar liquids, such as oil floating on the water’s surface.

During oil sorption tests described in Environmental Science Nano, 10 × 10 mm samples of the mat material were dipped into 10 mL of crude oil, silicone oil, gasoline, diesel, toluene and m-xylene. Adsorption capacities were in the range of 25–56 g/g range. The nanofibers instantly adsorbed the oils and non-polar liquids and subsequently released them either by mechanical recovery or treatment with toluene. The electrospun mats were also demonstrated to be reused several times while still maintaining high sorption capacity.