Hydrophobic cellulose scaffolds for oil-water separation via high internal phase emulsion templating and surface modification.

The increasing frequency of oil contamination in aquatic environments necessitates the development of efficient, sustainable, and reusable sorbent materials for oil-water separation. This study reports the fabrication and evaluation of a hydrophobically modified cellulose-based interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) scaffold, synthesized via high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) templating and chemically modified using trimethoxy(methyl)silane (MTMS) through chemical vapour deposition (CVD). The resulting scaffold exhibits a highly porous structure (porosity ≈ 96.5%) and hydrophobic characteristics (contact angle >130°), enabling selective oil uptake and water repellence. Morphological, spectroscopic, and wettability analyses confirmed the successful incorporation of hydrophobic moieties without compromising the structural integrity of scaffold. The modified scaffold demonstrated an exceptional oil adsorption capacity of up to 45.34 ± 4.08 g/g for engine oil (E.O.) and retained substantial reusability over ten sorption-desorption cycles with minimal performance loss. These findings highlight potential of the developed cellulose-IPN scaffold as a green, cost-effective, and reusable solution for addressing oil pollution in aquatic systems.