Tailoring pore structures and hydrophobicity of monolithic carbon nanofiber aerogels for optimized adsorption performance

Monolithic carbon nanofiber aerogels (MCNAs) have aroused much attention for their unique properties. At present, oil pollution has posed great threats to the environment. MCNAs are supposed to be suitable adsorbents for oil adsorption owing to their porous structure, low density and ease of handling. However, facile and inexpensive synthesis of MCNAs still remains a challenge. On this account, low-cost minerals are found to be ideal templates for carbon synthesis. Chrysotile nanofibers with natural fibrous structure were applied as template for MCNAs preparation in this work. Furthermore, calcination at different temperatures was employed to regulate the pore structures and hydrophobicity to enhance oil adsorption capacity. Meanwhile, chrysotile would decompose and form Mg-silicates (MS) under high temperature. MCNAs obtained from this method exhibited a three-dimension cross-linked network structure and good hydrophobicity, leading to high oil adsorption capacity ranged from 25.9 to 29.1 g g −1 . Furthermore, the relationship of oil adsorption capacity with mesopore surface area and contact angle was discussed. The work provides not only a novel pathway for low-cost and environmental synthesis of MCNAs, but also a solution for optimizing the performance of oil adsorbents. Graphical abstract