Length controllable tubular carbon nanofibers: Surface adjustment and oil adsorption performances

Treatment of oil leakage in an open environment has always been a problem concerned and actively solved in the field of environmental science. Preparation of highly adaptable and efficient adsorption materials has become a research hotspot. In this paper, tubular hypercrosslinked polymer nanofibers are synthesized in the liquid phase by a simple one-step method using a limited self condensation system. The fiber length is controlled effectively by ultrasonic treatment, and the structure-activity relationship between fiber length and oil adsorption properties is established. The effects of surface modifier types, adsorption temperature and time on adsorption capacity are investigated. The O-CTFs-L modified by OTOS has the best adsorption performance and can absorb 13.51−46.73 times of its own weight. After 5 cycles, its adsorption capacities for engine oil 0W-20, soybean oil and diesel oil are still greater than 20 g/g, maintaining more than 73 % of the initial adsorption capacity. O-CTFs-L with a high adsorption capacity and excellent stability is expected to be a potential and advantageous oil adsorption material.