Compressible Carbon Sponges from Delignified Wood for Fast Cleanup and Enhanced Recovery of Crude Oil Spills by Joule Heat and Photothermal Effect

Fast and efficient cleanup of crude oil spills is still a global challenge because most of the crude oils are highly viscous and lowly fluid. Herein, a kind of polydimethylsiloxane‐decorated wood carbon sponges (PDMS@WCS) with desirable compressibility and hydrophobicity for the fast adsorption and enhanced recovery of crude oil via the promotion of Joule‐heating and photothermal effect is reported. Moreover, the PDMS@WCS can be compressed and released at a constant strain of 50% for over times without structural damage due to the protection of PDMS coating. Thus, the adsorbed crude oil can be facilely excluded from PDMS@WCS under external pressure to show enhanced recovery. Compressible and hydrophobic wood carbon sponges are elegantly fabricated from natural balsa woods and applied for the rapid recovery of high viscosity crude oil via the promotion of Joule‐heating and photothermal effect. Moreover, they possess a vertical porous structure inherited from natural wood that can greatly reduce the transport path of crude oil and increase the oil adsorption rate.