Ambient pressure dried (APD) silica-based aerogel-like monoliths are prepared using vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) as the sole silicon source by a rare-earth-assisted process. The APD method avoids the processes of solvent exchange and surface modification, is cost-effective, and reduces the preparation period from several days or weeks to 30 h. By controlling the solvent proportions, products with excellent mechanical properties, including exceptional mechanical strength and elasticity, can be synthesized. The monoliths also exhibit the outstanding characteristics of high hydrophobicity and lipophilicity and can rapidly absorb 13.5 times their weight in chloroform, showing great potential as reusable materials for application toward the separation/extraction of organic pollutants and oils.
Keywords: absorption; aerogel; ambient pressure drying; compressive deformation; environmental remediation; monoliths; organic pollutants; rare earth; silica.