Mesoporous silica supported ionic liquid materials with high efficacy for CO2 adsorption studies

Abstract

CO₂ capture from industrial processes and power plants, contribute to curbing global warming and advancing sustainability efforts. This study involves the design and synthesis of novel mesoporous silica supported ionic liquid based adsorbents for carbon dioxide capture. Utilization of MSILs delves into the efficiency and mechanisms of CO₂ adsorption, offering insights for sustainable carbon capture technologies in combating greenhouse gas emissions. 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium methylsulfate ionic liquids were anchored on the surface of mesoporous silica which then led to highly efficient adsorbent material. Simple, efficient and cost saving methodology was performed to synthesize such highly efficient CO₂ adsorbent materials. In addition, we theoretically predicted the favorable interaction mechanism of chosen molecular entities for CO₂ adsorption using density functional theory (DFT) analysis. Theoretical results depict the strong interaction of molecular entities with CO₂ gas molecules which is clearly evident from the experimental findings.