Compressible Carbon Nanotube-Graphene Hybrid Aerogels with Superhydrophobicity and Superoleophilicity for Oil Sorption

Abstract

Spilled oil represents a menace to the aquatic ecosystem and the whole environment in general and requires timely cleanup. Among all the avaliable technologies, oil sorption has attracted the most attention because of its simplicity and high level of effectiveness. The key for the development of this technology is convenient fabrication of high-performance oil sorbents that can be used repeatedly. In this work, a fast microwave irradiation-mediated approach has been proposed for manufacturing multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-graphene hybrid aerogels, in which MWCNTs are vertically anchored on the surface of cell walls of graphene aerogels. The hybrid monoliths show superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity, a large pore volume, a large pore size, and excellent compressibility, demonstrating outstanding performance for recyclable oil sorption.