Nickle oxide nanoparticles incorporated flexible and porous carbon nanofiber-based adsorbents for CO2 capture

Abstract

To capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the environment, carbonaceous materials are thought to be a convenient source. However, introducing flexibility with high porosity into the carbon nanofibers stays a demanding task. Herein, nickle oxide (NiO) nanoparticles (NPs) incorporated flexible and porous carbon nanofibers were created using an electrospinning process and subsequent carbonization treatment. The optimized (NiC-3) membranes demonstrated superior CO2 adsorption capacity of 2.5 mmol g−1 at 25 °C, strong CO2 gas selectivity (S=20) compared to N2 gas, and incredible cyclic stability. After 10 adsorption-desorption cycles, no major mass change was observed, and the CO2 uptake performance retains >95% of the initial value unveiling the high stability and practical importance of as-synthesized NiC-3 membrane. The incorporation of NiO NPs in the carbon framework not only improved the surface area, porosity, and vacant oxygen sites to capture CO2 molecules but also enhances the flexibility of the CNFs by acting as a plasticiser for single-fibre-crack connection. Profoundly, NiO NPs incorporated porous and flexible CNFs are a good choice for CO2 adsorption applications due to their excellent structural stability, which overcomes the restrictions of annihilation and failure of structure for conventional adsorbents.