CO 2 adsorption using amine-functionalized mesoporous silica prepared via anionic surfactant-mediated synthesis

Abstract

A series of directly amine-functionalized mesoporous silicas was prepared via an anionic surfactant-mediated synthesis method and applied to CO 2 adsorption at room temperature. The structurally robust amine functionality in the material accompanied by preferential positioning of amine groups normal to the surface of a silica support due to the S −N + ∼ I − mechanism proved to be beneficial for CO 2 adsorption. Rather than surface area or pore volume, amine content of the mesoporous material was found to be the governing factor to achieve high CO 2 adsorption capacity. Covalently bonded amine species in the mesoporous silica were robust enough to maintain steady adsorption performance during 10 repetitions of the adsorption–desorption cycle.