An ultralight, supercompressible, superhydrophobic and multifunctional carbon aerogel with a specially designed structure

Abstract Compressible and ultralight carbon aerogels are attractive due to its compressibility, elasticity and conductivity. However, it is still a great challenge to enrich the properties of carbon aerogel to meet various requirements. Herein, we report an untralight, supercompressible, fatigue resistant, superhydrophobic and fire-resistant and multifunctional CNF-GO/glucose-kaolin carbon aerogel (C-NGGK) carbon aerogel. To achieve such excellent performances, calcined GO, CNFs, glucose and kaolin are used for forming low-density and continuous wave-shape rGO layers, reinforcing the mechanical strength of carbon layers, realizing superelasticity and fatigue resistance and resulting in a superhydrophobic surface for C-NGGK, respectively. The as-prepared C-NGGK demonstrates excellent superhydrophobicity with the water contact angle (WCA) of 124.9°, and the absorption efficiency of the C-NGGK samples for different oils and organic solvents are 75–255 times their own weight. These advantages show that the C-NGGK can be an ideal candidate for oil/water separation. In addition, there is also the prospect to be used for pressure sensors, while other potential applications include three-dimensional electrode materials for supercapacitors and batteries, catalyst carriers and various wearable devices.