Sponge made from layers of nanosheets shows promise in soaking up oil spills

Originally shared by Gizmag

Sponge made from layers of nanosheets shows promise in soaking up oil spills
Five years on and questions still remain over the Deepwater Horizons oil spill, where millions of gallons of crude oil were spewed into the Gulf of Mexico. Perhaps the most pressing is how oil might be best cleaned up should such an environmental catastrophe occur in the future. A team of Australian researchers claims to have found an answer, developing a special porous material that is claimed to soak up to 33 times its own weight in oil and organic solvents.

http://www.gizmag.com/sponge-nanosheets-oil-spills/40664/