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Self-Supported Branched Poly(ethylenimine) Monoliths from Inverse Template 3D Printing for Direct Air Capture
Pavithra Narayanan1, Seo-Yul Kim1, Dema Alhazmi1
1School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology,Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|February 11, 2025
Summary
New 3D-printed poly(ethylenimine) monoliths enhance carbon dioxide (CO2) capture from air, even in humid conditions. These stable, robust materials show improved performance over conventional sorbents.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Developing efficient carbon capture materials is crucial for mitigating climate change.
- Poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) is a promising sorbent for CO2 capture, but its application in stable, reusable forms remains a challenge.
- Existing PEI-based sorbents often suffer from poor mechanical stability and performance degradation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop self-supported, structured poly(ethylenimine) monoliths for enhanced CO2 capture.
- To investigate the CO2 adsorption capacity and stability of these novel monoliths under various conditions.
- To evaluate the mechanical properties and pressure drop of the developed monoliths.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of branched poly(ethylenimine) monoliths using 3D-printed inverse templates and ice templating.
- Dynamic breakthrough experiments to measure CO2 uptake from ambient air with varying humidity.
- Cyclic adsorption-desorption experiments to assess long-term stability.
- Thermogravimetric analysis to evaluate performance under oxidative conditions.
Main Results:
- The monoliths achieved a maximum CO2 uptake of 0.96 mmol/g from humid air (45.5% RH), a 31% increase compared to dry conditions.
- Breakthrough experiments indicated internal mass-transfer limitations, suggesting potential for further optimization.
- Stable CO2 uptake was observed over eight cyclic adsorption-desorption cycles.
- The monoliths exhibited minimal capacity loss (7.7%) after exposure to oxygen at 110 °C, outperforming conventional PEI/Al2O3 sorbents (18.9% loss).
- The materials demonstrated good mechanical stability with up to 74% strain and a lower pressure drop.
Conclusions:
- 3D-printed, ice-templated poly(ethylenimine) monoliths offer a promising approach for efficient and stable CO2 capture from air.
- The structured nature of the monoliths enhances performance, particularly under humid conditions.
- These materials present a robust and mechanically stable alternative to conventional sorbents for carbon capture applications.
