title: Ultralight boron nitride aerogels via template-assisted chemical vapor deposition.
abstract: Boron nitride (BN) aerogels are porous materials with a continuous three-dimensional network structure. They are attracting increasing attention for a wide range of applications. Here, we report the template-assisted synthesis of BN aerogels by catalyst-free, low-pressure chemical vapor deposition on graphene-carbon nanotube composite aerogels using borazine as the B and N sources with a relatively low temperature of 900 (°)C. The three-dimensional structure of the BN aerogels was achieved through the structural design of carbon aerogel templates. The BN aerogels have an ultrahigh specific surface area, ultralow density, excellent oil absorbing ability, and high temperature oxidation resistance. The specific surface area of BN aerogels can reach up to 1051 m(2) g(-1), 2-3 times larger than the reported BN aerogels. The mass density can be as low as 0.6 mg cm(-3), much lower than that of air. The BN aerogels exhibit high hydrophobic properties and can absorb up to 160 times their weight in oil. This is much higher than porous BN nanosheets reported previously. The BN aerogels can be restored for reuse after oil absorption simply by burning them in air. This is because of their high temperature oxidation resistance and suggests broad utility as water treatment tools.
authors.affiliation: Science and Technology on Advanced Ceramic Fibers and Composites Laboratory, College of Aerospace Science and Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, 109 Deya Road, Changsha 410073, PR China.
authors.forename: Yangxi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Science and Technology on Advanced Ceramic Fibers and Composites Laboratory, College of Aerospace Science and Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, 109 Deya Road, Changsha 410073, PR China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 865 Changning Road, Shanghai 200050, PR China.
authors.forename: Siwei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 865 Changning Road, Shanghai 200050, PR China.
authors.forename: Guqiao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Science and Technology on Advanced Ceramic Fibers and Composites Laboratory, College of Aerospace Science and Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, 109 Deya Road, Changsha 410073, PR China.
authors.forename: Changrui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 865 Changning Road, Shanghai 200050, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xie