Light-driven self-cleaning foam/aerogel composites: rapid response and high efficiency in oil adsorption
摘要
The extensive exploration and exploitation of petroleum resources have precipitated severe marine oil pollution, necessitating advanced strategies for efficient and sustainable remediation. The existing aerogel composites are widely used to deal with the oil leakage. However, the traditional aerogel composites have faced several problems such as lower mechanical properties or less oil adsorption. To address these difficulties, this study proposes a novel three-dimensional (3D) foam/aerogel composite material engineered for high-performance offshore crude oil spill mitigation. The composite was fabricated by integrating a mesoporous aerogel filler into a mechanically robust foam scaffold, synergistically combining the structural durability of foams with the exceptional adsorption capacity of aerogels. This structural design makes the foam composites equipped with enough mechanical properties. Moreover, with the coordination effect of carbon nanotubes, the composite surface rapidly attained temperatures exceeding 100 °C within 5 min under natural sunlight irradiation, effectively reducing crude oil viscosity and enhancing adsorption kinetics. This photothermal activation amplified crude oil adsorption capacity by up to 61-fold compared to conventional adsorbents, enabling accelerated oil recovery. The composites demonstrated versatile adsorption capabilities for diverse substances across density gradient, which achieving the maximum capabilities of 38.6 g·g⁻1 for mechanical oil 10 and 31 g·g⁻1 for petroleum, while the aerogel incorporation significantly improved mechanical strength (compressive resistance up to 48.31 kPa) and surface hydrophobicity (water contact angle ~ 131°). This multifunctional architecture presents a promising solution for environmentally adaptive, energy-efficient marine oil spill remediation.