Mussel Adhesive-Inspired Design of Superhydrophobic Nanofibrillated Cellulose Aerogels for Oil/Water Separation

Abstract

Inspiration from biomimeticsthe chemistry of mussel adhesiveswas taken for imparting superhydrophobic properties to nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) matrices. A polydopamine (PDA) surface coating was introduced, acting as an anchor between the NFC scaffold and octadecylamine (ODA): PDA is coated onto the NFC scaffolds by its adhesive properties and the ODA is successfully attached to the PDA by a Schiff base reaction. The ultralow density of 6.04 mg/cm3 combined with the high contact angle of 152.5° endows the composite aerogel with superb buoyancy and excellent oil/water separation selectivity. Oil can be rapidly absorbed from a mixture of oil and water. In addition, the modified aerogel can take up a wide range of organic solvents, with the maximum absorption capacity reaching up to 176 g/g, depending on the density of the liquids. The novel superhydrophobic aerogel shows great potential as an adsorber for oil and solvent spills and as an oil–water separator.

Lightweight, Anisotropic, Compressible, and Thermally-Insulating Wood Aerogels with Aligned Cellulose Fibers

“…The specific surface area and mesopore size distribution of wood aerogel were characterized by the nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms and the Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) method, as shown in Figure 4. The wood aerogel exhibited type IV adsorption isotherms and possessed a type H3 hysteresis loop in Figure 4a [32,33]. The latter demonstrated the presence of a mesoporous structure in the wood aerogel.…”

Nanofibrillated cellulose composites and wood derived scaffolds for functional materials

“…An alternative strategy is to modify the NFC dispersions prior to the freeze or supercritical drying process. [108][109][110][111][112] In this way, the entire cellulose aerogel could be functionalized. For instance, Zhang et al 108 reported a facile process to prepare hydrophobic, exible, and low-density (#17.3 mg cm À3 ) cellulose aerogels by freeze-drying aqueous NFC suspensions with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) as a silylating agent.…”

“…The hydrophobic sponges maintained their shape and oil absorption capacity aer cyclic extraction/absorption, demonstrating their reusability. Inspired by the chemistry of mussel adhesives, Gao et al 109 developed a facile and novel method to fabricate low-density (6.04 mg cm À3 ), superhydrophobic NFC aerogels by dipping NFCs into a dopamine/octadecylamine (ODA) emulsion, followed by freeze-drying. Here, polydopamine (PDA) was coated onto the NFC by its adhesive properties and the ODA was then attached to the PDA by a Schiff base reaction (Fig.…”

Mussel‐inspired bio‐based water‐resistant soy adhesives with low‐cost dopamine analogue‐modified silkworm silk Fiber

“…Asha et al ., for example, used dopamine to prepare zwitterionic coating materials with good antifouling and antimicrobial properties via Michael‐type additions and Schiff base reactions with amino group‐rich polyethylenimine . However, the high cost and general scarcity of dopamine as a raw material significantly impede its practical application …”

“…28,29 However, the high cost and general scarcity of dopamine as a raw material significantly impede its practical application. 30,31 Low-cost dopamine analogues have also garnered significant research interest to this effect. Tannic acid is a natural polyphenol that is low-cost, environmentally friendly, readily available, and generally biocompatible.…”