Synthesis and characterization of superhydrophobic magnesium oxysulfate whiskers

• Published in: Particuology Vol. 78; pp. 111 - 121
• Main Authors: Yao, Zhenying, Gong, Lu, Zhu, Chunmei, Lian, Xin, He, Bai, Tian, Shenghui, Yu, Bo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.07.2023
• Subjects: Magnesium oxysulfate whiskers; Superhydrophobicity; Surface modification; Vinyltrimethoxysilane; Surface modification; Superhydrophobicity; Magnesium oxysulfate whiskers; Vinyltrimethoxysilane
• ISSN: 1674-2001; 2210-4291
• DOI: 10.1016/j.partic.2022.10.001

Superhydrophobic materials have attracted much attention for their special wettability. In this study, magnesium oxysulfate (MOS) whiskers were surface modified by vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) and prepared as superhydrophobic materials, which are expected to be widely used in self-cleaning, corrosion prevention, and oil-water separation. The factors of silane concentration, hydrolysis time, reaction temperature, and reaction time were investigated. The superhydrophobic MOS whiskers were synthesized. SEM and XRD turned out that there were no apparent changes in the morphology and crystallization behavior of whiskers before and after modification, while the surface was uniformly coated with a layer of non-crystal material, and the surface of the whiskers employed a chemical bond Si–O–Mg covalently connected. The thermogravimetric analysis ultimately demonstrated that surface modification was beneficial to the improvement of the thermal stability of MOS whiskers. Superhydrophobic MOS whiskers showed good compatibility with organic solvents through oil-water separation experiments, and demonstrated excellent self-cleaning performance. The methodology for the surface treatment of MOS whiskers to prepare superhydrophobic whiskers in this work may be extended for other whiskers or fillers, which may be promising for the preparation of superhydrophobic materials. [Display omitted] •Superhydrophobic magnesium oxysulfate (MOS) whiskers were prepared and characterized.•Modification mechanism of superhydrophobic whisker was clearly revealed.•Modified whiskers realized oil-water separation and self-cleaning properties.•Added value of raw materials was improved and resource utilization was realized.