Designed amyloid fibers as materials for selective carbon dioxide capture

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Environmental Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Climate change necessitates novel materials for effective carbon dioxide (CO2) capture.
• Protein-based self-assembling fibers (amyloids) are explored for CO2 sequestration applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of amyloid fibers for selective carbon dioxide capture.
• To elucidate the mechanism of CO2 binding and regeneration in amyloid materials.

Main Methods:

• Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to confirm carbamate formation.
• Thermodynamic and kinetic capture-and-release experiments.
• Evaluation of amyloid performance in the presence of water and regeneration capabilities.

Main Results:

• Amyloid fibers with alkylamine groups demonstrate reversible CO2 binding via carbamate formation.
• Fast carbamate formation enables dynamic separation of CO2, unaffected by water.
• Both natural and engineered amyloids show significant CO2 capture capacity.
• Material regeneration is achieved by heating to 100 °C.

Conclusions:

• Amyloid fibers represent a viable and effective material for selective carbon dioxide capture.
• The carbamate formation mechanism is robust and efficient for environmental applications.
• Engineered amyloids offer potential for enhanced CO2 capture capacity and performance.