Microporous metal-organic framework with potential for carbon dioxide capture at ambient conditions

Abstract

Carbon dioxide capture and separation are important industrial processes that allow the use of carbon dioxide for the production of a range of chemical products and materials, and to minimize the effects of carbon dioxide emission. Porous metal-organic frameworks are promising materials to achieve such separations and to replace current technologies, which use aqueous solvents to chemically absorb carbon dioxide. Here we show that a metal-organic frameworks (UTSA-16) displays high uptake (160 cm3 cm−3) of CO2 at ambient conditions, making it a potentially useful adsorbent material for post-combustion carbon dioxide capture and biogas stream purification. This has been further confirmed by simulated breakthrough experiments. The high storage capacities and selectivities of UTSA-16 for carbon dioxide capture are attributed to the optimal pore cages and the strong binding sites to carbon dioxide, which have been demonstrated by neutron diffraction studies. Metal-organic frameworks are promising candidates for capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide. Chen and co-workers report a metal-organic framework that exhibits high uptake of carbon dioxide at ambient conditions, and is a potentially useful adsorbent for post-combustion carbon dioxide capture.