Facile synthesis of Collagen/VCT composite aerogel by directional freeze-drying with excellent mechanical strength and oil absorption.

Efficient removal of oils has attracted wide attention and researchers have tried to develop effective oil absorbents with increasingly serious oily pollution. Collagen (COL)/VC Aluminium Carbide (VCT) composite aerogels were synthesized using a simple method of blending and directional freezing-drying with original materials of COL and VCT, in which VCT MXene was prepared by etching VAlC with hydrofluoric acid under stirring at room temperature. Modern testing and analysis techniques were used to characterize the structural properties and surface morphology of the hybrid aerogel. The COL/VCT composite aerogel shows excellent mechanical properties with 83 kPa compressive stress at 70% strain, low density (about 25 mg/cm), outstanding thermal stability with 58.67% weight loss from 240℃ to 600℃ and thermal insulation with heat conductivity coefficient 0.05304 W/mK. Importantly, COL/VCT aerogel exhibits higher oil absorption capacity and stability than that of COL aerogel for various oils. The absorbency of COL/VCT aerogel for methylene chloride is up to 54 times its weight under Vander Waals forces, intermolecular interaction, and capillary interaction between the aerogel and oily liquids. Therefore, COL/VCT aerogel possesses a promising application in the field of oil absorption and wastewater treatment. A novel COL/VCT aerogel was prepared by a simple method of blending and directional freezing-drying.The absorption capacity of COL/VCT aerogel for methylene chloride achieves up to 54 times its weight.The COL/VCT composite aerogel exhibits excellent mechanical properties with 83 kPa compressive stress at 70% strain, low density (about 25 mg/cm), and good thermal stability with 58.67% weight loss from 240℃ to 600℃.