Graphene oxide nanosheets augment silk fibroin aerogels for enhanced water stability and oil adsorption.

ABSTRACT: Nanocomposite aerogels exhibit high porosity and large interfacial surface areas, enabling enhanced chemical transport and reactivity. Such mesoporous architectures can be prepared by freeze-casting naturally-derived biopolymers such as silk fibroin, but often form mechanically weak structures that degrade in water, which limits their performance under ambient conditions. Adding 2D material fillers such as graphene oxide (GO) or transition metal carbides (e.g. MXene) could potentially reinforce these aerogels via stronger intermolecular interactions with the polymeric binder. Here, we show that freeze-casting of GO nanosheets with silk fibroin results in a highly water-stable, mechanically robust aerogel, with considerably enhanced properties relative to silk-only or silk-MXe

SUBMITTER: Machnicki CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10628998 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature