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 emulsiontemplated 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.