Superhydrophobic and superoleophilic graphene/polyvinylidene fluoride (G/PVDF) aerogels were prepared by solvothermal reduction of the graphene oxide and PVDF mixed dispersions. The chemical reduction of the graphene oxide component was verified by FT-IR, XRD, XPS, Raman spectroscopy and TGA. The asprepared aerogel showed high specific surface area, eminent absorption capacity for oils and organic solvents, superior water repelling ability, excellent absorption recyclability, and considerable mechanical properties. Therefore, this kind of aerogel is a promising material for oil-water separation, oil spill cleanup and recovery of organic solvents. Moreover, this work paved a facile way to fabricate superhydrophobic and superoleophilic graphene-based aerogels with graphene oxide and a hydrophobic polymer.

Graphene oxide was reduced by natural gallic acid at room temperature and upon heating. Gallic acid functioned as both a reductant and stabilizer during the reaction. The reduction of graphene oxide was verified by UV-vis, IR, Raman spectroscopy and XPS. Moreover, the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) exhibited the best dispersibility ever reported both in water and in organic solvents because of the gallic acid stabilizer. For example, the dispersibility of the rGO synthesized at room temperature is up to 1.2 mg ml À1 in water and 4 mg ml À1 in dimethylsulfoxide, respectively. This study offers a green approach to the mass preparation of rGO with excellent dispersibility.Scheme 1 Illustration of the preparation of rGO.

A superhydrophobic neat graphene aerogel that exhibited excellent properties for oil-absorption and oil–water separation has been fabricated for the first time.

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