Monolithic robust hybrid sponge with enhanced light adsorption and ultrafast photothermal heating rate for rapid oil cleaning.

ABSTRACT

It remains a significant challenge to develop a photothermal adsorbent with a heating response as fast as a joule-heating adsorbent and simultaneously possessing excellent mechanical stability and reusability for rapid oil cleaning. Here, we report a novel monolithic design to fabricate a photothermal hybrid sponge for rapid oil cleaning by integrating graphite interlayer compounds as photothermal units into the three-dimensional photothermal network of carbon nanotubes. This unique monolithic design enabled the hybrid sponge to present excellent photothermal performance firstly, the superhydrophobic hybrid sponge has low thermal resistance resulting from the defectless surface; secondly, the photothermal units were weaved in the photothermal network, preventing detachment in the cycling and providing ultrafast photothermal heating rate. The hybrid sponge rises to 81 °C in merely 25 s under irradiation (1 Sun), superior to most photothermal oil adsorbents reported so far. This study provides a new structural design for constructing photothermal adsorbents with a fast-heating response for rapid crude oil cleaning.