Functionalized Ordered Mesoporous MCM-48 Silica: Synthesis, Characterization and Adsorbent for CO₂ Capture

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Ordered mesoporous silica materials offer high surface areas for gas adsorption.
• CO2 capture is crucial for mitigating climate change.
• Functionalization of silica with amine groups enhances CO2 affinity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize amino-functionalized MCM-48 silica for CO2 adsorption.
• To evaluate the CO2 adsorption-desorption performance of modified MCM-48 materials.
• To assess the stability and efficiency of these novel CO2 adsorbents.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of ordered mesoporous silica MCM-48 using CTAB and TEOS.
• Functionalization with (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (KH560) and amination with ethylene diamine (N2) or diethylene triamine (N3).
• Characterization using XRD, FT-IR, and N2 adsorption-desorption; CO2 adsorption-desorption evaluated by TPD.

Main Results:

• MCM-48 exhibited a highly ordered structure with a large surface area (1466.059 m²/g) and pore volume (0.802 cm³/g).
• MCM-48 sil KH560-N3 achieved a CO2 adsorption capacity of 3.17 mmol CO2/g SiO2 at 30 °C.
• Adsorbents showed stable performance with low capacity decrease after nine adsorption-desorption cycles.

Conclusions:

• Amino-functionalized MCM-48 materials are promising adsorbents for CO2 capture.
• The MCM-48 sil KH560-N3 composite demonstrates high CO2 adsorption efficiency and good recyclability.
• These materials offer a potential solution for CO2 separation technologies.