3D Porous Graphene-Polymer Materials for CO2 capture

Abstract

The era of energy demand will continue increasing in the next decades, and as a consequence, the emissions of pollutant greenhouse gases, especially CO2. Thus, there is a great interest in the development of efficient and cost effective CO2 adsorbent materials to be applied in post-combustion capture technology. One of the most promising strategy to take advantages of the unique properties of those individual graphene sheets in application perspective is the assembly of 2D graphene nanolayers into a macroscopic 3D monolithic structure. Furthermore, it has more advantages, including the improved textural properties such as hierarchical structure, surface area and porosity. On the other hand, the development of graphene-polymer composites modifies the surface chemistry of the 3D structures, and in this way, it could enhance the adsorption capacity and selectivity towards CO2. Emulsion polymers give the opportunity to produce structures with tuneable characteristics and specific properties during reaction. The objective of this PhD Thesis is to make a detail study of the synthesis and characterization of 3D graphene-polymer composite monolithic materials for selective CO2 capture. GO nanosheets and polymer nanoparticles were used as building blocks and the self-assembly was induced by chemical reduction reaction. Variables such as reduction conditions, mass ratios, and polymer microstructure are used to study their influence in textural properties, adsorption capacities, and selectivity towards CO2 gas over N2. An environmentally friendly procedure is exclusively followed in water, low energy and quite versatile method, where scale-up procedures are viable.