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Highly compressible polyimide/graphene aerogel for efficient oil/water separation

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Abstract

Graphene aerogel with three-dimensional (3D) interconnected porous structure and good hydrophobicity has been extensively investigated for sorbent materials for oils and demonstrated to be effective. Herein, a 3D polyimide–graphene aerogel (PI-GA) nanocomposite has been prepared by introducing water-soluble polyimide (PI). Benefiting from the synergetic effect of PI and GA, the PI-GA nanocomposite exhibits ultralow density, excellent compressibility and hydrophobicity. When evaluated as a sorbent material for oils and organic solvent, PI-GA nanocomposite has high absorption capacity and can separate oil from water rapidly and efficiently. Furthermore, the mechanical squeezing process can be used for the recycling of the PI-GA due to its excellent compressibility. The excellent absorption performance and robust mechanical properties make the PI-GA suitable for oil cleanup and chemical leakage.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21406154, 21776196, 51778397).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Coal Science and Technology of Ministry of Education and Shanxi Province, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, Shanxi, China

    Rui-Peng Ren, Zhen Wang, Jing Ren & Yong-Kang Lv

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  1. Rui-Peng Ren
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  2. Zhen Wang
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  3. Jing Ren
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  4. Yong-Kang Lv
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Correspondence to Rui-Peng Ren or Yong-Kang Lv.

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Ren, RP., Wang, Z., Ren, J. et al. Highly compressible polyimide/graphene aerogel for efficient oil/water separation. J Mater Sci 54, 5918–5926 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-018-03238-1

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