Carbon capture via novel Cu(II)-DDA metal-organic frameworks-based hybrid membranes

An important contributor to global warming is the incessant escalation in carbon dioxide gas (CO2) levels in the air, mainly attributed to combustion of fossil fuels. A promising strategy to regulate emission of greenhouse gases into open air is the implementation of carbon capture systems at existing and prospective carbon-releasing infrastructures. Being a distinguished class of mesoporous materials, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have great potential to efficiently alleviate CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Nanocrystals of a newly developed Cu(II)-DDA MOF were incorporated into polysulfone (PSF) matrix in varying concentrations to fabricate hybrid membranes to enhance their carbon capture efficiency. The prepared mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) demonstrated better filler-matrix interfacial adhesion, homogenous nanofiller dispersal, semicrystalline domains and thermally resistant structure. Gas adsorption tests conducted on both the Cu(II)-DDA MOF nanocrystals and hybrid membranes indicated good adsorption capacity for CO2 as compared to N-2. Experiments using cast MMMs revealed that doping the polymer matrix with MOF nanofillers increased the CO2 permeability and the CO2/N-2 selectivity of the cast MMMs. In comparison to the pure PSF membrane, the CO2 permeability and CO2/N-2 permselectivity of the composite membrane doped with 5 wt% Cu(II)-DDA MOF nanocrystals were nearly doubled.

Automated summary

The study found that incorporating metal-organic framework nanocrystals into hybrid membranes can effectively enhance carbon capture efficiency, showing great potential for mitigating carbon dioxide emissions.