Selective Adsorption Of CO2 Research Articles

Synthesis of porous hypercrosslinked polymers from waste polystyrene for efficient CO2 separation

A series of porous hypercrosslinked polymers (HCP-x) were synthesized from waste polystyrene foam via Fridel-Crafts alkylation reaction, aiming to optimize the utilization of waste plastics. The impact of various crosslinkers on the structural characteristics and CO2 adsorption properties of HCP-x was investigated. The results indicated that HCP-x polymers possess high specific surface areas spanning 830–1182 m2 g−1, abundant narrow micropores, and exceptional thermal stability. Notably, HCP-2 exhibited the highest CO2 adsorption capacity of 2.77 mmol g−1 at 273 K and 1.0 bar. These hypercrosslinked polymers also demonstrated a favorable CO2/N2 ideal selectivity and robust cyclic adsorption performance. Breakthrough experiments confirmed the selective adsorption of CO2 from simulated flue gas containing CO2/N2 (15/85). Additionally, the mechanism underlying CO2 adsorption on HCP-x was elucidated by analyzing adsorption thermodynamics and diffusion kinetics. This study not only introduces an innovative method for recycling waste polystyrene foam but also underscores the potential of HCP-x as an effective adsorbent for CO2 capture.

Cu-trimesate and mesoporous silica composite as adsorbent showing enhanced CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 selectivity for biogas and flue gas separation

Due to their diverse structure, high porosity, and tunable functionality, Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) hold great potential as materials for diverse applications, including gas separation. Material science researchers are focusing on creating flexible materials that have special properties. Most of the latest research mainly concentrates on fabricating composite materials of MOFs and other functional materials. These MOF-based composites can mitigate the limitations of pure MOFs and may even perform better than the individual components. Here, we present a systematic study on the effect of solvent in synthesising a composite (Cu-BTC@SBA-15) of Cu-trimesate MOF (aka CuBTC) and ordered mesoporous silica SBA-15, showing considerable improvement in selectivity for CO2 adsorption from the flue gas and biogas. The pristine Cu-BTC, SBA-15 and the composites with different content of Cu-BTC were characterized by PXRD, BET, FT-IR, SEM, TEM and TGA techniques. The pure gas adsorption isotherms were measured for CO2, CH4, and N2 gases. Ideal Adsorbed Solution Theory (IAST) is used for the binary selectivity calculations for gas systems such as CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 in the context of biogas and flue gas separation. The composite exhibited an increase in CO2/CH4 selectivity by 39 % compared to pure Cu-BTC and 85 % compared to pure SBA-15. For the CO2/N2 system, the composite showed 38 % higher selectivity than Cu-BTC. The work has significance in the design of effective MOF-based composites for CO2 separation. Our work might open up a new route to design multifunctional materials for worldwide applications through an adsorptive and or mixed matrix membrane route.

Solvent-Regulated Formation of Metal/Metal-Oxo Nodes in Two Indium Metal-Organic Frameworks: Syntheses, Structures, Selective Gas Adsorption and Fluorescence Sensor Properties.

Two water-stable indium metal-organic frameworks, (NH2Me2)3[In3(BTB)4] ⋅ 12DMA ⋅ 4.5H2O (In-MOF-1) and (NH2Me2)9[In9O6(BTB)8(H2O)4(DMSO)4] ⋅ 27DMSO ⋅ 21H2O (In-MOF-2) (BTB=4,4',4''-benzene-1,3,5-tribenzoate) with 3D interpenetrated structure has been constructed by regulating solvents. Structure analysis revealed that In-MOF-1 has a three-dimensional (3D) structure with a single metal core, while In-MOF-2 features an octahedron cage constructed by three kinds of metal clusters to further form a 3D structure. The fluorescence investigations showed that In-MOF-1 and In-MOF-2 are potential MOF-based fluorescent sensors to detect acetone and Fe3+ ions in EtOH or water with high sensitivity, excellent selectivity, recyclability and a low limit of detection. Moreover, the fluorescence mechanisms of In-MOF-1 and In-MOF-2 toward acetone and Fe3+ ions were further explained. In addition, In-MOF-2 has higher thermal and framework stability than In-MOF-1. The activated In-MOF-2 presents a high BET surface area of 998.82 m2g-1 and a pore size distribution of 8 to 16 Å. At the same time, In-MOF-2 exhibits high selective CO2 adsorption for CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2, respectively. Furthermore, the adsorption sites and adsorption isotherms were predicted using grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations, and the adsorption energy of the lowest-energy adsorption configuration was calculated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.

Amine-impregnated elastic carbon nanofiber aerogel templated by bacterial cellulose for CO2 adsorption and separation

Carbon aerogel has become a promising electrode material for CO2 capture and capacitor due to its large specific surface area, well-developed pore structure, adjustable porosity and ultra-high specific power. However, most of the carbon-based materials suffer from poor mechanical properties, low recycling efficiency, and low adsorption capacity, making it difficult to be put into industrial applications on a large scale. Bacterial cellulose (BC) has an ultra-fine reticular structure, a modulus of elasticity that is several to more than ten times that of typical plant fibers, and high tensile strength. In this paper, BC was treated by unidirectional freeze-drying method, and the aerogels with ordered honeycomb pore structure were constructed by unidirectional growth of ice crystals, and the pyrolytic chemical properties of BC were adjusted by using (NH4)2SO4, which effectively prevented the shrinkage and deformation of materials during carbonization, and successfully prepared elastic nanocarbon fiber aerogels. At the same time, the introduction of (NH4)2SO4 made the material realize N doping in the carbonization process, providing more adsorption sites, which was conducive to the adsorption of CO2. Finally, the carbon fiber nanoaerogel was modified by TEPA to further improve its adsorption selectivity for CO2. The prepared elastic carbon nanofiber aerogel (CBCNT) has high CO2 adsorption performance and high selectivity, and its CO2 capture capacity is up to 4.88 mmol/g. At the same time, its capacitance also reached 246F/g.

Microscopic adsorption study from coal rank comparison on the feasibility of CO2-rich industrial waste gas injection enhanced coal bed methane recovery

A new method of injecting CO2-rich industrial waste gas (CO2-rich IWG) to displace coal bed methane (CBM) is proposed for energy conservation and green growth. In this study, theadsorption mechanisms of this method were studied by the Giant canonical Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics methods in macromolecular coal models with three ranks (brown, bituminous, and anthracite coal). It is found that the proportion of gas molecules in the adsorbed state is higher in the anthracite coal slit than in the brown and bituminous slits, indicating that anthracite coal seams are more appropriate for waste gas sequestration. The adsorption selectivity of NO and CO2 is consistent among the three coal ranks, with the order of brown > bituminous > anthracite > 1.0, and that of N2 orders as 1.0 > bituminous > anthracite > brown.This is due to the different dominant factors affecting the competitive adsorption between different waste gas components and CBM, namely competition for adsorption sites in the NO and CO2 systems and thefilling effect in the N2 system. There is a positive correlation between the number of major competitive adsorption sites and the adsorption selectivity of theCO2(NO) system. CO2 and CH4 compete for COC structures in brown and bituminous coal and OH structures in anthracite coal, and OH structures in the three coals are the major adsorption sites for NO systems. Our work advances the understanding of the microscopic adsorption mechanisms of CO2-rich IWG in the CBM reservoirs, which provides a theoretical basis for CO2-rich injection-enhanced CBM recovery technology.

Improving gas separation performance by boron nitride nanotubes

The performance of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in multiple gas separation systems was systematically compared using molecular simulation methods. Findings reveal that under conditions of 298 K and 2 MPa, BNNTs generally show higher adsorption selectivities than CNTs for CH4/N2, CO2/CH4, and CO2/N2 mixtures. Notably, in the CO2/CH4 system, BNNTs exhibit a selectivity of up to 350 at a radius of 0.48 nm, significantly surpassing the 14 observed for CNTs; in the CO2/N2 system, selectivity can reach as high as 969 for BNNTs, contrasting with the 69 for CNTs. Furthermore, BNNTs achieve saturation adsorption for CF4 at 0.04 MPa with a capacity of 2.7 mmol/g, while CNTs show a higher adsorption capacity for N2, reflecting the superior selective adsorption capability of BNNTs for specific gases. Analysis of nanotubes with different chiral configurations led to the recommendation of (11,11) and (7,7) chiralities as optimal structures for efficient gas separation. Fluctuations in energy contributions from fluid-wall interactions in BNNTs, are closely related to their selectivity fluctuations. The results demonstrate that BNNTs, due to their unique structural characteristics, possess significant potential in the field of gas adsorption and separation, particularly in enhancing the selective adsorption of CO2 and CF4.

A theoretical simulation of carbon dioxide adsorption capture on amine-functionalized graphene oxides

Amine-functionalized graphene oxides (AFGOs) are potential candidates for CO2 capture applications, as the amine functional groups could act as effective sites, promoting CO2 adsorption strength and selectivity. However, the CO2 adsorption mechanism on AFGO appears to be ambiguous, particularly with no explicit identification of the chemically bonded species. In this work, density functional theory and microkinetic simulations were carried out to investigate the physical and chemical adsorption mechanisms and behavior between AFGO and CO2. Our findings indicate that the van der Waals and hydrogen bonding (HB) interactions constitute physical binding modes between the aminated GO and CO2. The chemical adsorption pathways on AFGO materials have been revealed by the transition state search method, in which the relevant CO2 adsorption species, including carbamic acid and carbamate, and their formation conditions were theoretically identified on AFGOs. The chemisorption mechanisms have been recognized to be the nucleophilic interaction between GO-supported amines and CO2, simultaneously assisted by the cooperative effect of multiple HB interactions. More specifically, the surface hydroxyl groups and water molecules can serve as proton transfer media and offer HB interactions, thus regulating the reaction activity and chemical adsorption species. This theoretical work presents a new insight into CO2-AFGO interaction mechanisms, which is valuable for designing aminated GO adsorbents.

Dual‐Cation Activation of N‐Enriched Porous Carbons Improves Control of CO2 and N2 Adsorption Thermodynamics for Selective CO2 Capture

AbstractPorous carbons have potential to facilitate energy‐efficient separation of CO2 from post‐combustion flue gas. However, the complicated interplay between chemical and textural properties has prevented a comprehensive understanding of selective CO2 adsorption. This study demonstrates how dual cation activation of carbons serves as a synthetic platform to help modulate porosity independent of nitrogen content. For samples derived from nitrogen‐poor precursors, surface areas deviated significantly (2200–4500 m2 g−1) at a constant total nitrogen content (2.3 ± 0.3 at %). Surface area changed less for samples derived from nitrogen‐rich precursors (400–675 m2 g−1 at 23.1 ± 0.1 at % N). Rigorous structure‐function and thermodynamic analysis of these carbons not only helped to uncover the nature of the different adsorption sites, but also established a fundamental linear free energy exchange relationship. This coupled with material property correlations informed the properties that facilitated selective capture of CO2. Critically, for these physisorptive carbons, selectivity is almost entirely a function of relative porosity and chemical adsorbent‐adsorbate interactions play a negligible role.

Enhancement of carbonation, water purification and CO2 self-sequestration in hydrophobic piezo-photocatalytic carbonation coating for concrete

A eco-friendly carbonation coating (HBCC) with a piezo-photocatalysis was developed using gamma-dicalcium silicate and hydrophobic BiOI/BaTiO3 (HB), aiming at purifying pollutants by multi-dimensional energy (mechanical energy and visible light) and self-sequestrating CO2 produced by degrading pollutants. Based on the self-floating effect induced by the hydrophobicity of HB, the increase of catalyst content on the surface of HBCC was studied to promote the formation of a hydrophilic-hydrophobic interface. The selective adsorption of CO2 and H2O molecules by the hydrophilic-hydrophobic interface of HBCC was confirmed by simulations and experiments, which accelerates carbonation. Also, carbonation degree (37.1 %), bonding strength (40.1 %), and anti-corrosion performance (15.4 %) enhanced induced by accelerating carbonation was further confirmed. Additionally, HBBC exhibits the prominent degradation effect of Rhodamine b (90.8 %), methylene blue (86.6 %), and sulfamethoxazole (74.7 %) under ultrasound and visible light within 60 min. Meanwhile, CO2 emitted by piezo-photocatalytic degradation pollutants can be efficient sequestration by HBCC itself, and the carbonation can be enhanced to further improve its bonding strength. Finally, the enhancement mechanism of carbonation, water purification, and CO2 self-sequestration of HBBC was explored and ascertained.

Carbon Dioxide Adsorption over Activated Biocarbons Derived from Lemon Peel.

The rising concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is approaching critical levels, posing a significant threat to life on Earth. Porous carbons derived from biobased materials, particularly waste byproducts, offer a viable solution for selective CO2 adsorption from large-scale industrial sources, potentially mitigating atmospheric CO2 emissions. In this study, we developed highly porous carbons from lemon peel waste through a two-step process, consisting of temperature pretreatment (500 °C) followed by chemical activation by KOH at 850 °C. The largest specific surface area (2821 m2/g), total pore volume (1.39 cm3/g), and micropore volume (0.70 cm3/g) were obtained at the highest KOH-to-carbon ratio of 4. In contrast, the sample activated with a KOH-to-carbon ratio of 2 demonstrated the greatest micropore distribution. This activated biocarbon exhibited superior CO2 adsorption capacity, reaching 5.69 mmol/g at 0 °C and 100 kPa. The remarkable adsorption performance can be attributed to the significant volume of micropores with diameters smaller than 0.859 nm. The Radke-Prausnitz equation, traditionally employed to model the adsorption equilibrium of organic compounds from liquid solutions, has been shown to be equally applicable for describing the gas-solid adsorption equilibrium. Furthermore, equations describing the temperature dependence of the Radke-Prausnitz equation's parameters have been developed.

Stable hierarchical ionic liquid nanochannels for highly efficient CO2 adsorption, separation and conversion

Constructing stable nanochannels and nanoconfined environments for ionic liquids holds significant application value in gas separation, ion channels, and related fields. The functional polyionic liquid synthesized in this study exhibits a controllable assembly structure and demonstrates liquid crystal properties. Through heating and water treatment, the polyionic liquids crosslink to form multi-hierarchical nanopores, including sub-nanochannels with pore sizes similar to CO2, without the need for a catalyst. The specific surface area and pore size of the polyionic liquid network (PILC) were adjusted by regulating the self-assembly of polyionic liquids in water. The unique PILC, combining ionic liquid nanopores and liquid crystal structure properties, shows high CO2 adsorption performance and excellent CO2/N2 selectivities, surpassing commonly reported ionic liquid porous materials. Furthermore, PILC-2 exhibits good catalytic performance for CO2 cycloaddition, and its catalytic activity and selectivity did not significantly decrease after five cycles. This study successfully introduces hierarchical ionic liquid nanochannels into porous networks without involving any inorganic ordered nanomaterials. This provides a simple and effective approach for the highly selective adsorption and separation of CO2, as well as for the preparation of catalytic materials.

Selective adsorption of trace CO2 by immobilized amino acid ionic liquids with ultra-micropores based on amino MOFs

Great attention has been paid to effectively capture trace CO2 in air or a confined space for ensuring human safety, but it remains challenging to enhance CO2 capacity and selectivity concurrently. In this study, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) were combined with amino groups (NH2-MIL-125(Ti) and NH2-UIO-66(Zr)) and amino acid anion-functionalized ionic liquids (ILs), namely 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium glycinate ([BMIm]Gly) and 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium arginine ([BMIm]Arg) to prepare various ionic liquid (IL) composites containing various IL contents. Relative to pristine supports, incorporating ILs significantly enhanced CO2 capacity together with CO2/N2 selectivity, in particular in the confined spaces (<5000 ppm) or in air (415 ppm). At a 50 wt% IL loading, new ultra-micropores (<0.65 nm) could be obtained in IL-NH2-UIO-66(Zr) composite, but they did not occur within pristine supports or the rest IL-NH2-UIO-66(Zr) (10 wt%, 30 wt% and 70 wt%). Among them, CO2 uptake of 50 wt% [BMIm]Arg-NH2-UIO-66(Zr) peak at 0.0005 and 0.005 bar (2.93 and 3.87 mmolCO2/g-adsorbent, respectively) at 313 K; besides, recyclability significantly increased compared with the latest values reported. Additionally, the excellent optimal CO2/N2 selectivity was determined to be 8916 at 0.005 bar and 288 K, which increased by 254.7 folds relative to NH2-UIO-66(Zr). In the meantime, as revealed by mixed gas breakthrough experimental results, 50 wt% [BMIm]Arg-NH2-UIO-66(Zr) showed superb CO2 separation effect in air and simulated confined spaces. Such ultra-high CO2 separation efficacy is associated with the synergistic effect of chemical interaction of IL anion with amino groups in MOFs and CO2 and the novel ultra-micropore effect. Findings in the present work shed more lights on designing hierarchically porous IL composites that possess ultra-micropores to efficiently remove trace CO2.

Enhanced CO2 Capture Potential of Chitosan-Based Composite Beads by Adding Activated Carbon from Coffee Grounds and Crosslinking with Epichlorohydrin.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture has been identified as a potential technology for reducing the anthropic emissions of greenhouse gases, particularly in post-combustion processes. The development of adsorbents for carbon capture and storage is expanding at a rapid rate. This article presents a novel sustainable synthesis method for the production of chitosan/activated carbon CO2 adsorbents. Chitosan is a biopolymer that is naturally abundant and contains amino groups (-NH2), which are required for the selective adsorption of CO2. Spent coffee grounds have been considered as a potential feedstock for the synthesis of activated coffee grounds through carbonization and chemical activation. The chitosan/activated coffee ground composite microspheres were created using the emulsion cross-linking method with epichlorohydrin. The effects of the amount of chitosan (15, 20, and 25 g), activated coffee ground (10, 20, 30, and 40%w/w), and epichlorohydrin (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 g) were examined. The CO2 capture potential of the composite beads is superior to that of the neat biopolymer beads. The CO2 adsorbed of synthesized materials at a standard temperature and pressure is improved by increasing the quantity of activated coffee ground and epichlorohydrin. These findings suggest that the novel composite bead has the potential to be applied in CO2 separation applications.

Facile synthesis of inherently nitrogen-doped PAN-derived microporous carbons activated with NaNH2 for selective CO2 adsorption and separation

N-doped porous carbons (PCs) are extensively researched for CO2 capture and separation under flue gas conditions, but their complex and expensive preparation methods hinder widespread industrial use. Herein, we present a direct approach for synthesizing N-doped PCs by utilizing polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and NaNH2 as precursors, without the need for any solvents. The utilization of NaNH2 as both a porogen and nitrogen supply during carbonization is primarily responsible for the formation of the well-developed pore structure and high specific surface area of N-doped PCs. The optimized sample “PN-3” demonstrated excellent textural features with an excellent specific surface area (SSA) of 2490 m2/g, a pore volume of 2.0559 cm3/g, a well-defined pore size distribution (PSD), and abundant micropores (<1 nm). In addition, PN-3 has the highest pyrrolic nitrogen content (∼40.1 at.%), resulting in a significant capacity for CO2 adsorption (7.15 mmol/g at 273 K/1bar, 4.56 mmol/g at 298 K/1 bar, 26.2 mmol/g at 298 K/ 40 bar). Furthermore, it exhibits an outstanding CO2/N2 selectivity (∼102) based on the ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) at 273 K, surpassing the performance of most of previously reported biomass and polymer-derived N-doped carbons in terms of CO2 adsorption and separation. In addition, the adsorption process is characterized by a modest heat of adsorption (39.10 kJ/mol) and a steady cyclic pattern of CO2 adsorption–desorption under flue gas settings (15 % CO2 and 85 % N2). This indicates that the adsorption is mostly governed by physisorption, which allows for an energy-efficient regeneration process. In summary, this study showcases the successful production of highly PCs that can effectively adsorb CO2, enlightening the way toward establishment of a cost-effective and facile synthetic protocol for achieving CO2 capture/separation at the commercial scale.

Recent Advances of Carbon Capture in Metal-Organic Frameworks: A Comprehensive Review.

The excessive emission of greenhouse gases, which leads to global warming and alarms the world, has triggered a global campaign for carbon neutrality. Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology has aroused wide research interest as a versatile emission mitigation technology. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), as a new class of high-performance adsorbents, hold great potential for CO2 capture from large point sources and ambient air due to their ultra-high specific surface area as well as pore structure. In recent years, MOFs have made great progress in the field of CO2 capture and separation, and have published a number of important results, which have greatly promoted the development of MOF materials for practical carbon capture applications. This review summarizes the most recent advanced research on MOF materials for carbon capture in various application scenarios over the past six years. The strategies for enhancing CO2 selective adsorption and separation of MOFs are described in detail, along with the development of MOF-based composites. Moreover, this review also systematically summarizes the highly concerned issues of MOF materials in practical applications of carbon capture. Finally, future research on CO2 capture by MOF materials is prospected.

Molecular simulation of the competitive adsorption of methane and carbon dioxide in the matrix and slit model of shale kerogen and the influence of water

Carbon dioxide enhanced shale gas recovery (CO2-EGR) technology is of great significance for shale gas extraction and carbon dioxide storage in subsurface, which involves the competitive adsorption in shale nanopores. Adsorption comparisons between the kerogen matrix and slit and between the pure gas and gas mixture are conducted in this study. Kerogen matrix and slit models are built with the type II-A kerogen macromolecules and adsorptions of CH4 and CO2 are modelled. It is seen: 1) The gas absolute adsorption increases with its molar fraction while decreases with temperature. The Langmuir pressure for CO2 decreases while that for CH4 increases with their molar fractions. The adsorption selectivity of CO2 over CH4 decreases with the increase in pressure and the CO2 fraction, while it is higher in the matrix than that in the slit. Water significantly reduces the gas adsorption especially for matrix. 2) CO2 has high affinity to the Sulfur and Nitrogen functional groups, while CH4 molecules mainly adsorb on the Sulfur, Nitrogen and Carbon functional groups, While water are strongly bound to the Oxygen functional groups with water cluster formed at high contents. 3) Lower interaction energies are shown in the matrix compared with the slit due to the adsorption superposition, which results in gases preferentially adsorbed in the matrix then on the slit surface in the kerogen slit model. The water interaction energy is lowest due to the hydrogen bond, while the interaction energy of CO2 is much smaller than that of CH4 indicating its adsorption advantage.

Preparation of lignin-based porous carbon through thermochemical activation and nitrogen doping for CO2 selective adsorption

Preparing CO2 adsorbents from biomass feedstock has garnered considerable attention due to its potential for fostering sustainable, economic, and eco-friendly development. Introduction of nitrogen-containing functional groups can enhance the affinity for CO2 of biochar but also inevitably affect the pore structure. The challenge lies in ascertaining and regulating the effect of N-doping on the pore structure. In this work, lignin was activated using KOH, and then followed by urea N-doping through pyrolysis or hydrothermal methods. At small dosages of KOH (the mass ratio of KOH/lignin = 0.25), in addition to introducing nitrogen-containing functional groups, urea modification boosted pore volume of <1 nm favorable for CO2 adsorption through etching carbon skeleton, while the small dosage of KOH reduced its inherent corrosive hazards. Correlation analysis showed that the dominant influencing factor for CO2 adsorption at ambient temperature and pressure was the pore volume with pore size of 0.6–0.8 nm, whereas nitrogen content (especially N-5 content) was the main influencing factor at high temperatures (50 °C) and low pressures (0.15 bar). The peak enhancement of the C–N bond under the CO2 adsorption at 50 °C by in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform test indicated that the nitrogen-containing functional groups have a chemisorption effect on CO2. The adsorbent PK-0.25-HU exhibited adsorption capacity of 4.46 mmol/g (25 °C, 1 bar), 2.97 mmol/g (50 °C, 1 bar). Dynamic separation coefficient of CO2/N2 reached 93.82 in a gas mixture of CO2/N2 = 15 %/85 %.

Sorption-Enhanced Dry Reforming of Methane in a DBD Plasma Reactor for Single-Stage Carbon Capture and Utilization.

Plasma-sorbent systems are a novel technology for single-stage carbon capture and utilization (CCU), where the plasma enables the desorption of CO2 from a sorbent and the simultaneous conversion to CO. In this study, we test the flexibility of a plasma-sorbent system in a single unit, specifically for sorption-enhanced dry reforming of methane (DRM). The experimental results indicate the selective adsorption of CO2 by the sorbent zeolite 5A in the first step, and CH4 addition during the plasma-based desorption of CO2 enables DRM to various value-added products in the second step, such as H2, CO, hydrocarbons, and the byproduct H2O. Furthermore, our work also demonstrates that zeolite has the potential to increase the conversion of CO2 and CH4, attributed to its capability to capture H2O. Aside from the notable carbon deposition, material analysis shows that the zeolite remains relatively stable under plasma exposure.

Selective adsorption behavior of reducing gases on the NiO–In2O3 heterojunction under the interfacial effect

Gas sensors with the p–n heterojunction have demonstrated distinct sensing responses to reducing gases, yet a clear understanding of the reaction pathways and selective adsorption mechanisms for specific gas components remains elusive, impeding practical applications. In this study, we constructed an atomic-level NiO–In2O3 heterojunction and explored its adsorption behaviors and sensing properties for CO and H2 by first-principles calculations. Analysis of its electronic properties, focusing on binding energy, differential charge density, and density of states, confirmed the creation of a highly stable NiO–In2O3 heterojunction and alterations in the coordination environment of the surface-active atoms. These changes potentially led to differences in the affinity between the gas molecules and the adsorption sites. The calculations of the adsorption properties revealed that the adsorption capacity of H2 is relatively weak compared to the strong interactions between CO and heterojunction surface atoms, indicating a readily variable reaction pathway for H2. Consequently, the adsorption configuration at the interface site on the NiO–In2O3 heterojunction surface exhibited a predominantly p-type response for CO and a unique n-type response for H2. This interfacial effect of the heterojunction is crucial for the selective adsorption of CO and H2. Furthermore, the opposite response signal was verified by gas sensing tests, which also presented the superior stability of the NiO–In2O3 sensor. The p–n heterojunction of the corresponding composites was effectively characterized. This research offers new insights into the selective adsorption mechanism, paving the way for the development of gas sensors.

Enhancing CO2 adsorption capacity and selectivity of UiO-67 through external ligand modification

To address the escalating issue of CO2 pollution, the development of innovative CO2 adsorbents has been necessitated, leading to the exploration of UiO-67-based materials. In this study, UiO-67 was synthesized with meticulous selection of the appropriate modulators in optimal ratios. Subsequently, 4-iodopyrazole, a ligand distinguished by its local electric fields and polar sites, was incorporated to fabricate UiO-67-I. This novel material underwent examination employing techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. The adsorption rates of gases including CO2, CH4, and N2 were measured at various temperatures. Utilizing the ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) and the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, the selectivity of CO2 against CH4 and N2 was calculated, along with the CO2 adsorption isotherms. Remarkably, UiO-67-I(50) demonstrated a CO2 adsorption capacity of 1.84 mmol/g at 298 K and 1 bar, representing a significant enhancement attributable to the ligand's enhanced local electric fields and polar sites. The selectivities for CO2 over CH4 and CO2 over N2 were determined to be 14.2 and 84.6, respectively, under these conditions. Moreover, UiO-67-I(50) proved effective in the separation of CO2 from N2 under dynamic flow conditions, showcasing its potential for practical application in gas separation.