Conjugated microporous polymer nanotubes (CMPNs) were synthesized and employed as a platform for investigation of CO2 and I2 adsorption. A high adsorption capacity of up to 208 wt% for reversible I2 capture was achieved.

Graphite oxide (GO) nanoplatelets with a thickness from 0.8 nm to 2 nm were prepared using a modified Hummers method. By employing GO nanoplatelets as nanofillers, poly(acrylic acid)-GO superabsorbent nanocomposites were synthesized by a facile solution polymerization of acrylic acid monomers using N,N 0 -methylenebisacrylamide as cross-linker and ammonium persulfate as initiator.The well-dispersed GO nanoplatelets in the polymer networks results in a significant improvement in absorbencies both in distilled water and saline solutions. With only a very low loading of GO in the superabsorbent nanocomposite, for example 0.073 wt%, its water absorbency reaches up to 508 g g À1 , which is nearly as twice that of the poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) superabsorbent. The superabsorbent nanocomposite also exhibits a superior water-retention ability compared with the control under the same conditions. Our study may provide a new way for the development of novel, GO-based superabsorbent nanocomposites with improved absorbency and may find a variety of useful applications.

Mesoporous graphene with a surface area of 306 m2 g−1 was synthesized by employing CaCO3 microspheres as hard templates. By surface modification with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) through chemical vapor deposition, the wettability of as‐treated mesoporous graphene can be tailored to be superhydrophobic to water while superoleophilic to oils. The deposition of the low‐surface‐energy silicon‐coating originated from PDMS pyrolysis on porous graphene was confirmed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. As a result of its porous structures and excellent surface superhydrophobicity, the PDMS‐treated mesoporous graphene exhibits good selectivity, excellent recyclability, and good absorption performance (up to 66 g g−1) for a wide range of oils and organic solvents. Thus, leading to potential use in a variety of applications such as water treatment and purification as well as cleanup of oil spills.

No abstract

Superwetting materials have attracted considerable interest both in academia and industry. In this work, the reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-coated cotton (GCC) was prepared by a facile and inexpensive dip-coating method. By modification with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), superhydrophobic and superoleophilic GCC was obtained, which shows a water contact angle of 152 . The PDMS-treated GCC exhibits selective absorption of organics and oils from water with an absorption capacity up to 11 to 25 times its weight. Also, the as-prepared product shows excellent stability and recyclability; both saturated absorption capacity and water CA value remain nearly unchanged after 9 cycles of use. Taking advantage of the excellent absorption selectivity, simple fabrication process, good stability and recyclability, this material may find a variety of applications such as in water treatment, purification, separation, oil spill cleanups and so on.