Preparation and characterization of cellulose/attapulgite composite aerogels with high strength and hydrophobicity

The development of mechanical enhancement and sustainable absorbents for oil and chemical spills cleaning has attracted wide interest. In this work, novel and low-cost hydrophobic, cellulose/attapulgite (ATP) composite aerogels were prepared by freeze-drying and chemical vapor deposition. The composite aerogels were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunaur-Emmett-Teller (BET), and mercury intrusion porosimetry. The formation of Si-O-Si and C-H bonds observed according to FTIR and XPS indicated that the methyl groups from methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) had been grafted on the composite aerogels. The as-prepared composite aerogels showed high hydrophobicity with water contact angle up to 161.1 °. Moreover, the composite aerogels had three-dimensional pore structures and good thermal stability. Compared to the pure microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) aerogel, the maximum compressive strength of composite aerogel with hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and ATP build blocks was able to reach 1.43 MPa. Therefore, this work provided a low-cost method to prepare robust and sustainable MCC/HEC/ATP composite cellulose aerogels, which could be ideal absorbents for oil adsorption.