Super-resilient and reusable polyimide/polybenzoxazine aerogels with biomimetic architecture for high-efficiency hazardous oil spill remediation in extreme environments

Accidental spills of hazardous and flammable liquids, such as aviation kerosene and industrial lubricants, pose severe environmental and safety risks, especially under extreme temperature conditions where conventional cleanup materials fail. Existing adsorbents are plagued by a performance trilemma, lacking the combined mechanical resilience, high adsorption capacity, and thermal stability required for effective remediation. Here, inspired by the human capillary system, we developed a biomimetic polyimide/polybenzoxazine (PI/PBOZ) aerogel with a layered “fiber-node-pore” structure. Among them, flexible PI nanofibers constitute the continuous scaffold (fibers, mimicking the compliant vascular walls), while rigid crosslinked PBOZ domains selectively localize at fiber junctions to function as “chemical rivets” (nodes, formed via strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding between phenolic hydroxyl groups on cured PBOZ and carbonyl groups on PI). The large interconnected voids between these riveted fibers form open macropores (pores, emulating the luminal channels for fluid transport). The optimized aerogel demonstrates an unprecedented combination of ultralow density (5.2 mg cm −3 ), super-resilience (98% recovery after 90% strain), and massive oil uptake (up to 276 g/g for high-viscosity oils). Crucially, it maintains functionality after direct flame exposure and in cryogenic environments (−140 °C), with a low thermal conductivity of 0.0248 W m −1  K −1 . The material's reusability is demonstrated through combustion-based regeneration, enabling complete oil removal without generating secondary liquid waste. This strategy establishes a robust and generalizable route to high-performance porous materials for mitigating hazardous oil spills and managing thermal risks in extreme industrial and aviation environments.