Adsorption Microcalorimetry of CO₂ in Confined Aminopolymers

Aminopolymers confined within mesoporous supports have shown promise as materials for direct capture of CO₂ from ambient air. In spite of this, relatively little is known about the energetics of CO₂ binding in these materials, and the limited calorimetric studies published to date have focused on materials made using molecular aminosilanes rather than amine polymers. In this work, poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) is impregnated within mesoporous SBA-15, and the heats of CO₂ adsorption at 30 °C are investigated using a Tian-Calvet calorimeter with emphasis on the role of PEI loading and CO₂ pressure in the compositional region relevant to direct capture of CO₂ from ambient air. In parallel, CO₂ uptakes of these materials are measured using multiple complementary approaches, including both volumetric and gravimetric methods, and distinct changes in uptake as a function of CO₂ pressure and amine loading are observed. The CO₂ sorption behavior is directly linked to textural data describing the porosity and PEI distribution in the materials.