Direct air capture of CO2: from insights into the current and emerging approaches to future opportunities

The rapid development of direct air capture (DAC) technologies has become critical in order to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C. In this perspective, we provide a mini review of the current research on the emerging liquid- and solid-based sorbent materials to capture CO2, summarize the existing challenges of DAC technologies, and suggest future research directions to accelerate the development of DAC systems. In particular, the desired properties for a breakthrough sorbent that efficiently captures CO2 from the air and releases it for sequestration are described.