Continuous and selective recovery of fluorobenzene from complex water emulsion by superhydrophobic wood mimetic cryogel

Recovering fluorous organic compounds is considered a valuable approach in line with carbon recycling requirements. However, achieving efficient recovery of these molecules within complex matrices remains a challenging issue. Drawing inspiration from wood structures and the lotus effect, we develop superhydrophobic wood-mimetic cryogels for the recovery of fluorobenzne from complex emulsions under continuous flow conditions. The biomimetic cryogels can be conveniently fabricated by in situ cryopolymerization. The resulting fluorinated cryogel exhibits a distinctive honeycomb-like architecture in cross-sectional views, complemented by a tubular structure when observed vertically. Remarkably, it achieves a water contact angle of 154.99 °in air and an impressive 159.92 °under oil, respectively, highlighting its extraordinary superhydrophobicity. This inherent self-cleaning capability imparts the cryogel with robust anti-fouling characteristics, enabling it to repel soluble dye and protein molecules efficiently from its surface. The multifunctional cryogel column exhibits a dynamic adsorption capacity of 2251.8 mg/g and an adsorbent utilization efficiency of 88.4 % for fluorobenzene during the continuous treatment of surfactant-stabilized complex emulsion containing dye and protein contaminants. The fluorobenzene recovery efficiency consistently exceeds 87 % across six regeneration cycles of emulsion treatment, presenting a promising strategy for the selective enrichment of fluorous compounds from complex environmental matrices.