Spectroscopic investigations to reveal synergy between polystyrene waste and paraffin wax in super-hydrophobic sand

Sand based superhydrophobic materials, such as paraffin-coated sand, are the focus of global research to fight land desertification. The present work investigates the development of paraffin-coated sand with extending service life as well as improving and stabilizing hydrophobic property by adding plastic waste. While the addition of polyethylene (PE) did not improve the hydrophobic property of paraffin coated sand, incorporating 4.5% of polystyrene (PS) in the composition of coated sand increased the contact angle. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD) and two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) indicated that PS increased the molecular orientation of sand and reduced the thickness of the paraffin coating. Paraffin on the other hand improved the distribution of PS and prevented aggregation with sand. Both FTIR bands at 1085 cm-1 and 462 cm-1 were more sensitive to change in PS contents, while other bands at 780 cm-1 and 798 cm-1 were more sensitive to change in paraffin contents. Moreover, the XRD patterns of sand were split into two components by the addition of PS indicating the transformation of morphology to less ordered or more distorted form. 2D-COS is a powerful tool to reveal harmony of components in mixtures, extract information related to the role of each of them, and help in decision-making process regarding choosing the appropriate recipes.