Structure-Property Relationships of CO₂ Absorbing Core-Shell Microparticles with Encapsulated Ionic Liquid

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Growing demand for efficient carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technologies.
• Need for advanced materials with high gas permeability and ionic liquid incorporation.
• Ionic liquids (ILs) show potential for selective CO2 sequestration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel IL-encapsulated microparticles for selective CO2 capture.
• To investigate the effect of copolymer shell composition on IL encapsulation and CO2 sorption.
• To identify optimal microparticle design for enhanced CO2 sequestration.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of IL-encapsulated microparticles using w/o emulsion polymerization of β-myrcene and styrene.
• Characterization of microparticles using TGA, DSC, SEM, and TEM.
• Gravimetric CO2 sorption experiments using TGA instrumentation.

Main Results:

• Microparticle synthesis yielded varying [EMIM][DCA] encapsulation efficiencies based on β-myrcene/styrene ratios.
• Thermal properties (stability, glass transition) were dependent on copolymer shell composition.
• A 50/50 β-myrcene/styrene ratio microparticle exhibited optimal CO2 sorption capacity (~0.5 mmol CO2/g) within 20 min.
• Trade-off observed between IL loading and CO2 absorption due to porosity variations.

Conclusions:

• Core-shell microcapsules with β-myrcene and styrene offer a promising platform for CO2 sequestration.
• Optimized microparticle design balances IL encapsulation, porosity, and CO2 sorption.
• These materials present a viable solution for selective carbon dioxide capture from gas mixtures.