One-pot synthesis of rationally-designed flexible, robust, and hydrophobic ambient-dried molecularly-bridged silica aerogels with efficient and versatile oil/water separation applications

The implementation of silica aerogels (SAs) in numerous applications remains limited due to their costly fabrication process and poor mechanical properties. This paper reports the rational design and synthesis of twist-able, stretchable, compressible, and highly hydrophobic bridged SAs (BSAs) through an environmentally friendly one-pot process and cost-effective ambient pressure drying. The BSAs exhibit ultra-low density, high porosity, large specific surface area, and mechanical resilience, withstanding 200 cyclic fatigue tests. Their superoleophilic and hydrophobic nature (water contact angle up to 146.5°) allows outstanding oil sorption and oil/water separation performances. The recyclability and stability under harsh conditions demonstrate great potential for large-scale oil spill cleanup.

Zeineb Ben Rejeb, Abdelnasser Abidli, Aniss Zaoui, Maryam Fashandi, Ayyoub Selka, Hani E. Naguib, Chul B. Park