SHyNE Director Vinayak Dravid and team have developed a highly porous smart sponge that selectively soaks up oil in water. With the ability to absorb thirty times it’s weight in oil, this has the potential to be a game-changer for environmental remediation! Even more exciting, “The OHM (oleophilic hydrophobic magnetic) nanocomposite slurry can be used to coat any cheap, commercially available sponge.” Thereby making oil-spill cleanup more accessible and cost-effective. You can read the Northwestern article here.
At at time when our collective consciousness is focused on moving towards health and healing our planet, access to renewable resources are more important than ever! This is exciting news indeed!
The National Science Foundation is also featuring the OHM Sponge. Check out the article and video as featured by the NSF!
You can also read the full research paper here.