Nanofibrous, hierarchically porous aerogels templated from wide-adjustable gel emulsions stabilized by an ionomeric organogelator for removing oils from oil-water mixtures

High internal phase emulsion (HIPE)-templated aerogels and xerogels are promising for removing oils from oil-water-mixtures, but such emulsions usually exhibit quite low adjustability in the dispersed phase fraction and the stabilizer concentration. Herein, we report the fabrication of emulsion-templated aerogels from highly adjustable gel emulsions, both of water-in-oil and nonaqueous emulsions, with the dispersed phase fraction ranging from 5 % to 80 % and stabilizer concentration ranging from 0.3 % to 8 %, much higher adjustability than that of common HIPEs. Through simple direct drying, the gel emulsions turn into emulsion-templated aerogels with designable external shapes, low density, unique hierarchically porous structures (emulsion-templated voids, interconnecting pores depending on emulsion types, nanofibers on void walls) that are not common for emulsion-templated porous polymers, an moreover, the aerogels show enhanced hydrophobicity and oleophilicity. The hydrophobicity-oleophilicity and unique porous structures enable the aerogels suitable for removing oils oil-in-water emulsions that are usually impossible for common porous materials.