Functionalization of hierarchically porous silica monoliths with polyethyleneimine (PEI) for CO2 adsorption

Abstract

A novel CO2 sorbent was prepared by modifying polyethyleneimine (PEI) on hierarchically porous silica (HPS) monoliths with well-defined macro-mesopores through wet impregnation method. HPS monoliths before and after functionalization were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential thermal analysis/thermogravimetry (DTA/TG), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and nitrogen adsorption/desorption analysis (BET), and the CO2 adsorption-regeneration properties of as-synthesized sorbents were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TG). The effects of loaded PEI amount as well as adsorption temperature and CO2 partial pressure on the CO2 adsorption performance of the as-prepared sorbents were also studied. The results showed that the porous structure of HPS-PEI sorbents was preserved after functionalization, while the specific surface area and pore volume decreased with increasing amount of amines to some extent. The use of PEI had a remarkable improvement on the CO2 adsorption capacity. With the increasing amount of PEI loaded, the CO2 adsorption capacity improved significantly. The highest CO2 adsorption capacity of 2.44 mmol (g sorbent)−1 was obtained at 75 °C in the CO2 partial pressure of 100 kPa for the HPS loaded with 60 wt% PEI. Adsorption/desorption cycles indicated that the PEI-modified HPS sorbents had a good stability and regeneration.