Reduced graphene oxide-coated cotton as an efficient absorbent in oil-water separation

Abstract

The present work describes the fabrication of superhydrophobic and superoleophilic reduced graphene oxide-coated cotton (rGO@cotton) by a facile one-step hydrothermal used method for oil-water separation. Results from X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis show the formation of a composite structure with the presence of an ultrathin coating of rGO on the cotton fibers. The contact angle (CA) between a static water droplet and the rGO@cotton surface in air was measured~162.9°, which suggests the formation of a superhydrophobic surface on the synthesized product. Moreover, the rGO@cotton showed excellent absorption capacity for oils where 1 g of rGO@cotton was able to remove~30-40 g of various oils in the first cycle from oil-water mixtures. The flexible rGO@cotton was reusable and demonstrated oil retention up to~35-50% at the tenth cycle using simple sorption-mechanical squeezing test. Overall, the present work identifies that the rGO@cotton is an efficient absorbent for effective separation of oil from oil-water mixtures.

Preparation and oil–water separation of 3D kapok fiber‐reduced graphene oxide aerogel

“…Because of the thermal decomposition and evaporation of O molecules in the fiber structure, KF and TKF showed a mass loss (≈70 wt%) in the temperature range 180–350 °C. At 350–600 °C, the weight lost was ≈20% mainly due to the breaking of O and hydrogen (H) bonds in the cellulose structure, which was transformed into C residue . There were two stages of weight loss in GO: the first, which occurred before 100 °C was due mainly to the evaporation of adsorbed water; the second (≈30 wt%) at 150–300 °C was caused by the decomposition of O‐containing groups.…”

Efficient preparation of crack-free, low-density and transparent polymethylsilsesquioxane aerogels via ambient pressure drying and surface modification

“…14,18 The peak at 1638 cm À1 and the broad absorption band attributed to -OH groups at around 3500 cm À1 are due to adsorbed water. [28][29][30][31] . The PMSQ aerogels have peaks at around 2975 cm À1 and 1278 cm À1 corresponding to Si-CH 3 asymmetric bending.…”

Plant-Inspired Layer-by-Layer Self-Assembly of Super-Hydrophobic Coating for Oil Spill Cleanup

“…Unfortunately, the two-dimensional film materials must be in a specific device in order to play its role and is not suitable for the treatment of large-scale oil leakage at sea. Herein, nowadays, oil-water separation materials are mainly focused on three-dimensional porous hydrophobic materials [21][22][23]. Three-dimensional porous hydrophobic materials have a large amount of storage space, which can directly absorb the leaked oil on the sea surface, and its bulk structure is easy to transport after the completion of oil absorption process.…”