Engineering a 3D porous carbon sponge as a self-floating solar energy utilization platform for photothermal oil spill recovery and photocatalytic H2 evolution

作者：Kang, Shifei; Chen, Mengya; Wang, Yuting; Tang, Fan; Liu, Ying; Cui, Lifeng^*; Dong, Mingdong^*

来源：Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 2023, 7(2): 409-419.

DOI：10.1039/d2se01463g

• FOAM
• SORPTION
• CLEANUP

Lightweight 3D porous self-floating platforms with enriched light-water-air-material interactive interfaces are promising candidates to promote solar energy utilization, regarding the requirements of solar-inspired reactions such as photothermal spill oil recovery and photocatalytic hydrogen production. Herein, we report a facile and controllable method to prepare lightweight porous carbon sponges by using low-cost melamine-formaldehyde (MF) foams as an environmental-friendly template and raw material, which are a widely-used mass disposal building solid waste with high porosity. Scanning electron microscopy shows the natural 100 mu m level porous network structure of the MF foams is retained after carbonization. Nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms and corresponding pore size distributions clearly indicate the carbon sponges have unique hierarchical mesoporous features, which are beneficial for remediation of spilt oil or composite photocatalysis. X-ray diffraction data and Raman spectra verify the partial graphitization of the mesoporous carbon sponges, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirm the presence of N- and O-containing functional groups. Joule-heating performance testing in a simulated oil spill case under sunlight shows that the carbon sponges are superior over the supported graphene containing a positive control in terms of heating and rheological regulation effects, and thus are useful in oil spill recovery. Further photocatalytic hydrogen evolution experiments using the graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) semiconductor-coated carbon sponge suggest the successful assembly of an efficient carbon/g-C3N4 H-2 production platform. Hence, this low-cost waste MF foam-derived carbon sponge platform with high mechanical applicability and durability is promising for use in various energy and environmental applications.

• 单位
  上海交通大学