Solvation-Regulated Crosslink Growth of Acrylate/SiO2 Networks via Solution Polymerization for Low-Temperature High-Efficiency Oil-Adsorption Resins

At low temperatures, the performance of polymeric adsorbents in remediating oil spills and organic-solvent leakage can be severely compromised by restricted segmental mobility within the polymer network. To address this limitation, an acrylate-based oil-adsorption resin with a low glass-transition temperature ( T g ) was prepared through solution polymerization by regulating the solvation environment of the growing polymer chains. An ethyl acetate/isopropanol mixture (3:1 v/v) was used as the polymerization medium, with stearyl methacrylate and butyl methacrylate as comonomers and divinylbenzene as the crosslinker. KH570-modified SiO 2 nanoparticles were incorporated in situ to construct an organic–inorganic network, denoted PSDB@SiO 2 . The PSDB@SiO 2 exhibited a T g of −29.35°C and a static water contact angle of 109.73°, providing a favorable basis for low-temperature segmental responsiveness and organic-liquid wetting. PSDB@SiO 2 maintained a high chloroform adsorption capacity of 40.75–51.60 g·g −1 from room temperature to −40°C. At −20°C, 82.92% of the initial adsorption capacity was retained after 10 adsorption–desorption cycles. Moreover, the material retained 99% of the adsorbed chloroform after centrifugation at 12000 rpm for 5 min and exhibited selective capture of organic liquids under simulated application conditions. Highlights Solvation-regulated polymerization enables high-capacity adsorption at low temperatures. PSDB@SiO 2 combined a T g of −29.35°C with solvent-induced relaxation. Adsorption capacity remained 40.75–51.60 g·g −1 from −40°C to 20°C.