Solar-Assisted Self-Heating Ti3c2tx-Decorated Wood Aerogel for Adsorption and Recovery of Highly Viscous Crude Oil

The frequent oil spills in recent years have posed serious threats to the balance of ecosystems, global water security, and the efficient use of resources. Among them, the low mobility of high-viscosity crude oil makes it particularly difficult to handle. The introduction of heating function in oil sorbents opens up a new road to clean up viscous crude oil spills on site. Herein, the solar-assisted self-heating wood aerogel-derived adsorbent (PM-WA) is constructed from a rational combination of wood aerogel, Ti3C2Tx, and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The integration of Ti3C2Tx, which has the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect, and wood aerogel, which has light-trapping structures, gives PM-WA efficient light absorption abilities. Moreover, PM-WA owns superhydrophobicity (water contact angle: 154±2°), mechanical robustness (can withstand 20 loading and unloading cycles of 50% strain without structural damage), and excellent photothermal conversion capability (rise to ~85 °C within 90 s under 1.5 sun). These advantages make PT-WA an effective adsorbent for crude oil cleanup by light-to-heat conversion in-situ. Finally, we assemble a "self-heating crude oil collector" to realize fast adsorption and restoration of crude oils from the water surface. This solar-driven self-heating sorbent offers a competitive platform for the cleanup and recycling of viscous crude-oil spills