title: Fluorine-Free Oil Absorbents Made from Cellulose Nanofibril Aerogels.
abstract: Aerogels based on cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) have been of great interest as absorbents due to their high absorption capacity, low density, biodegradability, and large surface area. Hydrophobic aerogels have been designed to give excellent oil absorption tendency from water. Herein, we present an in situ method for CNF surface modification and hydrophobic aerogel preparation. Neither solvent exchange nor fluorine chemical is used in aerogel preparations. The as-prepared hydrophobic aerogels exhibit low density (23.2 mg/cm(-3)), high porosity (98.5%), good flexibility, and solvent-induced shape recovery property. Successful surface modification was confirmed through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and water contact angle measurements. The hydrophobic aerogels show high absorption capacities for various oils, depending on liquid density, up to 47× their original weight but with low water uptake (<0.5 g/g aerogel).
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Renewable Bioproducts Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mulyadi
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Renewable Bioproducts Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Renewable Bioproducts Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
authors.forename: Yulin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
mesh_terms: D065966:Absorption, Physicochemical; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D005461:Fluorine / Q000737:chemistry*; D005782:Gels / Q000737:chemistry*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008970:Molecular Weight; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009821:Oils / Q000737:chemistry*; D058105:Polymerization; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013696:Temperature; D017155:Wettability
chemical_list: D005782:Gels; D009821:Oils; D005461:Fluorine; D002482:Cellulose
keywords: aerogel; cellulose nanofibrils; hydrophobic; oil absorption; styrene-acrylic copolymer