Stiff interlocked nanoclay aerogels for synergistic detection and removal of organic contaminants in water

Removing organic pollutants from water is essential for preserving global ecosystems. However, challenges related to recyclability and material stability hinder effective treatment. Inspired by the mortise-and-tenon structure, a series of Ca2+-enhanced amino acid-intercalated layered double hydroxide aerogels featuring an interlocked framework was developed via the structural memory effect and supercritical drying. The aerogels achieve a balance of compressive strength (40.1 − 45.5 MPa) and toughness, overcoming the brittleness of conventional inorganic aerogels. They can remove a broad range of water pollutants, including tetracycline, doxycycline hydrochloride, methyl orange, Congo red and malachite green, with efficiencies of 95.4 − 99.9%, while retaining 87% of their initial efficiency after five regeneration cycles and enabling pollutant detection with a detection limit of 710 nM. The aerogels also exhibit robust stability under liquid nitrogen and butane flame exposure, along with flame resistance (limiting oxygen index ≈ 100%). These findings highlight their potential for water purification under harsh environmental conditions. This study reports the fabrication of stiff MgAl-LDH aerogels by combining a memory-effect strategy with supercritical drying. The resulting aerogels enable the efficient removal and detection of organic pollutants in water.