欧盟科技人员开发出新型的二氧化碳吸收材料

欧盟科技人员开发出新型的二氧化碳吸收材料

欧盟第七研发框架计划（FP7）资助250万欧元，由英国诺丁汉大学施罗德（SCHRODER）教授领导的一个欧洲研发团队，成功地研究开发出一种新型的二氧化碳（CO2）吸收材料。

新材料被命名为NOTT-202a，具有专门独特的吸收并储存CO2的特性，可以被直接应用于降低大气中的CO2含量，也可以通过设计开发出的新产品应用于减少化石燃料燃烧过程中的CO2排放，属于新型的碳捕获及封存技术（CCS）材料。研究成果在最新一期的自然.材料杂志上发表。

新型材料独特的结构缺陷，显示出强大的吸收CO2的能力。

研发团队的科技人员使用欧盟设立于英国的“钻石光源”（Diamond Light Source）大型科研基础设施，利用最先进的X-射线粉末衍射测定技术工艺和自行设计开发的计算机模拟系统，对开发出的新型材料进行了详细的结构分析测定，并在此基础上确定和合理化新型材料的结构及功能。

研发团队开发出的新型材料为连锁金属有机框架结构材料（Interlocked Metal Organic Framework），主要由四羧酸配体（Tetra-Carboxylate Ligands）组成。其结构为铟（Indium）金属中心绑定到中央原子的系列粒子或离子构成，类似蜂巢状图案的材料结构可以有效地保证有选择性的专门吸收CO2，而其它的气体如氮、甲烷和氢等，可以顺利地通过材料结构。

CO2被材料结构中的纳米孔束缚住，甚至在很低的温度情况下，从而可实现CO2的捕获及封存。

Potential carbon capture role for new CO2absorbing material

A novel porous material that has unique carbon dioxide retention properties has been developed through research led by The University of Notingham.

The findings, published in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Nature Materials, form part of ongoing eff orts to develop new materials for gas storage applications and could have an impact in the advancement of new carbon capture products for reducing emissions from fossil fuel processes.

It focuses on the metal organic framework NOTT-202a, which has a unique honeycomb-like structural arrangement and can be considered to represent an entirely new class of porous material.

Click here for full story Most importantly, the material structure allows selective adsorption of carbon dioxide — while other gases such as nitrogen, methane and hydrogen can pass back through, the carbon dioxide remains trapped in the materials nanopores, even at low temperatures.

Unique material

Lead researcher Professor Martin Schröder, in the University’s School of Chemistry, said:“The unique defect structure that this new material shows can be correlated directly to its gas adsorption properties.Detailed analyses via structure determination and computational modelling have been critical in determining and rationalising the structure and function of this material.”

The research team — which is included Dr Sihai Yang, Professor Alexander Blake, Professor Neil Champness and Dr Elena Bichoutskaia at Nottingham —collaborated on the project with colleagues at the University of Newcastle and Diamond Light Source and STFC Daresbury Laboratory.

NOTT-202a consists of a tetra-carboxylate ligands — a honeycomb like structure made of a series of molecules or ions bound to a central metal atom — and fi lled with indium metal centres.This forms a novel structure consisting of two interlocked frameworks.

Innovative solutions

State-of-the-art X-ray powder diff raction measurements at Diamond Light Source and advanced computer modelling were used to probe and gain insight into the unique carbon dioxide capturing properties of the material.

The study has been funded by the ERC Advanced Grant COORDSPACE and by an EPSRC Programme Grant ChemEnSus aimed at applying coordination chemistry to the generation of new multi-functional porous materials that could provide innovative solutions for key issues around environmental and chemical sustainability.These projects incorporate multi-disciplinary collaborations across chemistry, physics and materials science, and aim to develop new materials that could have application in gas storage, sieving and purification, carbon capture, chemical reactivity and sensing.