Preparation of a composite of polyacrylate and nano‐SiO ₂ particles and evaluation of its performance of oil–water mixture treatment

Abstract To acquire a material with simultaneous oil–water emulsion demulsification and oil‐absorbing performance, SiO ₂ nanoparticles were introduced into the acrylate polymerization system to prepare oil absorbent SiO ₂ /P (SMA‐ co ‐MMA‐ co ‐BA) (PSA‐SiO ₂ ). PSA‐SiO ₂ was synthesized from monomers and functional materials, including methyl methacrylate (MMA), butyl acrylate (BA), octadecyl methacrylate (SMA) and SiO ₂ hydrophobically modified by vinyltrimethoxysilane. The molecular structure of PSA‐SiO ₂ was characterized by FT‐IR, and its morphology was observed using scanning electron microscopy. In addition, the optimal synthesis conditions for the polymerization system, such as the monomer ratio, the amount of crosslinker and stabilizer and then the particle size and dose of SiO ₂ , were discussed in detail. PSA‐SiO ₂ had a decent oil absorbency for pure halogenated and aromatic hydrocarbons (49.10, 56.41, 47.32, 43.45, 36.22, and 30.14 g/g for CH ₂ Cl ₂ , CHCl ₃ , CCl ₄ , C ₂ Cl ₄ , toluene and styrene, respectively). Furthermore, SiO _2, as a functional material, makes composites that possess excellent demulsification properties for oil‐in‐water emulsions. The oil removal efficiency of CHCl ₃ in Tween 80‐stabilized and CTAB‐stabilized emulsions were 94.88% and 98.11%, respectively. All results indicated that PSA‐SiO ₂ had valuable potential for oil removal and emulsion treatment. Highlights An organic–inorganic composite was synthesized by suspension polymerization. The composite was applied for absorbing pure oil or removing oil form water. By modification, the composite acquired the demulsification ability. The composite accomplished one‐step demulsification and emulsion treatment. The oil absorption and emulsion treatment could achieve at room temperature.