The researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati have developed a unique exceptionally porous and water-repellent superhydrophobic cotton composite material.

The material contains MOF (Metal-Organic Framework) that can absorb oil specifically from an oil-water mixture. The MOFs are compounds that contain metal ions to coordinate with organic ligands to form 3Dstructures. These materials have the special feature of being highly porous.

The research can help in cleaning the spilled oil from environmental water such as sea, ocean water, or river with large absorption capacity and high efficiency which in turn will reduce the environmental water pollution. The material can effectively absorb both heavy and light oils. The material is also easy to prepare, recyclable, and cost-effective.

The MOF composite can efficiently separate oil from the oil-water mixture as its separation efficacy ranges from 95% to 98%, regardless of the density and chemical composition of the oil. Moreover, the MOF composite can absorb a great volume of oil. The material can be reused a minimum of 10 times.

Dr Shyam P Biswas, the Associate Professor from the Dept of Chemistry, was leading the research team. The research was also published in the American Chemical Society's journal 'ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces'.

Dr Biswas, while explaining the motive, said, "Our goal was to develop a new material that could be synthesized easily and should be cost-effective. We have grown our new MOF material on the surface of the medical cotton, which is environment friendly and cost-effective".