Dopamine and L-arginine tailored fabrication of ultralight nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels for oil spill treatment

Ultralight and nitrogen doped graphene aerogels (UNGAS) are developed by a hydrothermal method in the presence of graphene, dopamine (DA) and L-arginine. Analysis shows that DA can functionalize the graphene surface and also embed nitrogen atoms onto the graphene sheets upon pyrolysis, and the values of pH on the hydrothermal fabrication of UNGAS have great influence on the formation of UNGAS. By adjusting the amount of L-arginine and dopamine in the precursor mixture, UNGAS with a density as low as 2.54 mg/cm3 can be prepared. The UNGAS show high absorption capacity for various oils due to low density, N doping and large surface area.