Three-dimensional nitrogen and boron codoped graphene for carbon dioxide and oils adsorption

Abstract

Three-dimensional heteroatom-doped graphene macroporous structures possess superior features, such as the large pore volume, numerous surface active sites and the high specific surface area. These properties are useful for the preparation of high-performance adsorbents. We introduce a facile synthesis route for the preparation of three-dimensional nitrogen and boron codoped graphene aerogels (BN-GAs) via a solvothermal method at 180 °C for 6 h. The BN-GAs possess mesostructures with 2.5–11 nm pores, a high surface area (169.9 m² g⁻¹), and contain nitrogen and boron. Based on the unique feature of the large specific surface area and the high nitrogen and boron contents, the BN-GAs show a high CO₂ capture of 2.1–2.9 mmol g⁻¹ (273 K, 1.0 bar) and excellent absorption capacities of up to 23 g g⁻¹ for different oils and solvents. These results suggest that the BN-GAs may serve as a potential adsorbent for CO₂ and oil leakage capture.