Diamine-appended variants of the metal–organic framework M2(dobpdc) (M = Mg, Mn, Fe, Co, Zn; dobpdc4– = 4,4′-dioxidobiphenyl-3,3′-dicarboxylate) exhibit exceptional CO2 capture properties owing to a unique cooperative adsorption mechanism, and thus hold promise for use in the development of energy- and cost-efficient CO2 separations. Understanding the nature of thermal transport in these materials is essential for such practical applications, however, as temperature rises resulting from exothermic CO2 uptake could potentially offset the energy savings offered by such cooperative adsorbents. Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are employed in investigating thermal transport in bare and e-2-appended Zn2(dobpdc) (e-2 = N-ethylethylenediamine), both with and without CO2 as a guest. In the absence of CO2, the appended diamines function to enhance thermal conductivity in the ab-plane of e-2–Zn2(dobpdc) relative to the bare framework, as a result of noncovalent interactions between adjacent diamines that provide additional heat transfer pathways across the pore channel. Upon introduction of CO2, the thermal conductivity along the pore channel (the c-axis) increases due to the cooperative formation of metal-bound ammonium carbamates, which serve to create additional heat transfer pathways. In contrast, the thermal conductivity of the bare framework remains unchanged in the presence of zinc-bound CO2 but decreases in the presence of additional adsorbed CO2.
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Tailoring Hydrophobicity and Pore Environment in Physisorbents for Improved Carbon Dioxide Capture under High Humidity
CALF-20, a Zn-triazolate-based metal-organic framework (MOF), is one of the most promising adsorbent materials for CO2 capture. However, competitive adsorption of water severely limits its performance when the relative humidity (RH) exceeds 40%, limiting the potential implementation of CALF-20 in practical settings where CO2 is saturated with moisture, such as post-combustion flue gas. In this work, three newly designed MOFs related to CALF-20, denoted as NU-220, CALF-20M-w, and CALF-20M-e that feature hydrophobic methyl-triazolate linkers are presented. Inclusion of methyl groups in the linker is proposed as a strategy to improve CO2 uptake in the presence of water. Notably, both CALF-20M-w and CALF-20M-e retain over 20% of their initial CO2 capture efficiency at 70% RH – a threshold at which CALF-20 shows negligible CO2 uptake. Grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations reveal that the methyl group hinders water network formation in the pores of CALF-20M-w and CALF-20M-e and enhances their CO2 selectivity over N2 in the presence of high moisture content. Moreover, calculated radial distribution functions indicate that introducing the methyl group into the triazolate linker increases the distance between water molecules and Zn coordination bonds, offering insights into the origin of the enhanced moisture stability observed for CALF-20M-w and CALF-20M-e relative to CALF-20. Overall, this straightforward design strategy has afforded more robust sorbents that can potentially meet the challenge of effectively capturing CO2 in practical industrial applications.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2119433
- PAR ID:
- 10528471
- Author(s) / Creator(s):
- ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; more »
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Chemical Society
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of the American Chemical Society
- Volume:
- 146
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 0002-7863
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 3943 to 3954
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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