Issue 61, 2017

Preparation of carbon aerogels from TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers for organic solvents absorption

Abstract

In this study, ultralight and hydrophobic carbon aerogels were prepared from 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCN) for the removal of organic solvents. The morphological structure, density and chemical composition of TOCN aerogels frozen at −56 °C and −196 °C, followed by pyrolysis, were examined. The obtained carbon-based aerogels possessed an ultralight density of 8.8 mg cm−3 and excellent fire-resistance. The high porosity (up to 99.5%) and hydrophobicity (contact angle of 139.6°) of the obtained carbon aerogels allowed them to adsorb various organic solvents with a high absorption capacity (up to 110–260 g g−1). After five absorption–combustion and absorption–distillation cycles, the absorption capacity of the TOCN carbon aerogels exhibited excellent recyclability with up to 64–99% of the initial absorption capability, demonstrating potential applications in the oil-spill-cleanup field.

Graphical abstract: Preparation of carbon aerogels from TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers for organic solvents absorption

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 May 2017
Accepted
10 Jul 2017
First published
03 Aug 2017
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

RSC Adv., 2017,7, 38220-38230

Preparation of carbon aerogels from TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers for organic solvents absorption

M. Wang, C. Shao, S. Zhou, J. Yang and F. Xu, RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 38220 DOI: 10.1039/C7RA05506D

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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