H-BN and graphene-based ultralight hybrid aerogels: Highly efficient sorbent for recovery of hydrocarbon oils and organic solvents

Abstract

Two-dimensional nanostructured layered materials-based aerogels are gaining immense interest for the absorptive recovery of spilled hydrocarbon oils and organic solvents to mitigate their adverse effects on marine and terrestrial ecosystems. The poor structural organization, collapsed pores, and aggregation of graphene sheets furnished poor structural integrity and oil absorption capacity. Herein, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and graphene-based ultralight hybrid aerogels are prepared and demonstrated for fast and efficient absorptive recovery of a wide range of hydrocarbon oils and organic solvents. The hydrogen-based cross-linking network between the graphene oxide (GO), hydroxylated h-BN sheets, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) decreased the GO and h-BN aggregation, improved the structural integrity, furnished opened cell porosity (98.2%), and increased the uptake capacity of resultant aerogels for variable oils and organic solvents. These aerogels could rapidly uptake wide ranges of hydrocarbon oils and organic solvents with the sorption capacity of 2780–8100 wt% of their mass. These findings promise the potential of h-BN and graphene-based ultralight aerogel (6.7 mg cm−3) for the recovery of spilled oils and organic solvents to minimize their adverse and hazardous effects on the environment.