Facile synthesis of reduced graphene oxide/trimethyl chlorosilane-coated cellulose nanofibres aerogel for oil absorption.

A hydrophobic and oleophilic trimethyl chlorosilane/reduced graphene oxide-coated cellulose nanofibres (TMCS/rGO/CNFs) aerogel with a three-dimensional structure was fabricated through a facile dip-coating process. The prepared aerogel exhibited several advantageous properties for absorption and expulsion of oils from water surfaces, such as a high specific surface area, low density (6.78 mg/cm3) and good porosity (99.12％). In addition, the TMCS/rGO/CNFs aerogel demonstrated good absorption capacities up to 39 times its own weight over a short time (1.5 min) for a broad range of oils. This research suggests that practical application of TMCS/rGO/CNFs aerogel in the cleanup of an oil spill is feasible.