Synthesis of Si/O/C/N quaternary composite aerogels with micro/mesoporous structures and their selective adsorption property for volatile carbonyl compounds in cigarette smoke

Abstract A novel micro/mesoporous Si/O/C/N quaternary composite aerogels were prepared for the first time and possessed efficient synergistic effect of physisorption and chemisorption. In the preparation process, a simple sol-gel method was applied to integrating nitrogen rich chitosan sol and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) sol skillfully. The 2mm-thick Si/O/C/N composite adsorption layer was sandwiched into the acetate filter rod of control sample to form a test sample with high removal efficiency for volatile carbonyl compounds, especially for crotonaldehyde (75.9%) in mainstream cigarette smoke (MCS). The micro/mesoporous Si/O/C/N quaternary composite aerogels have brilliant prospect in the application of cigarette smoke filtration, water purification, etc.