Fabrication of porous carbon nitride foams/acrylic resin composites for efficient oil and organic solvents capture

Abstract

This article reported novel porous carbon nitride foams (CNFs)/acrylic resin composites for effective removal of oils and organic solvents from water. The composites were fabricated by a facile and low-cost method: carbonization of melamine–formaldehyde foams to form CNFs with hierarchal porosity and large specific surface area, following by hydrophobic treatment and in situ polymerization of acrylic monomers. A variety of characterizations including XPS, FT-IR, Raman spectra, XRD, and SEM had been performed to record the preparation process of the composites. The results demonstrated that the hydrophobic oil-absorbing resins were chemically attached onto the external surface of CNFs pores, which was beneficial for oil capture. The oil capture tests revealed that the composites had adsorption capacities of ∼33.5 g g−1 to toluene and ∼20.6 g g−1 to DMF, when 15 wt% MCNFs were loaded. The excellent oil capture performances were owing to the combination of CNFs with oleophilic polymeric chains, which not only generated strong capillary and penetration interaction for oil absorption, but also provided large volume of space for oil storage. Despite of the high adsorption capacity, the composites also showed fast capture rate, good recyclability, and oil retention property, making them versatile candidates to satisfy the practical removal of oils and organic solvent from water.