Advanced Functional Materials
Advanced Functional Materials
a year ago

Encapsulation of Nanoparticle Organic Hybrid Materials within Electrospun Hydrophobic Polymer/Ceramic Fibers for Enhanced CO2 Capture

Kyle D. Kersey, Gahyun Annie Lee, Jeffrey H. Xu, Michelle K. Kidder, Ah‐Hyung A. Park, Yong Lak Joo
In this work, polyethyleneimine‐grafted silica nanoparticles are encapsulated within polymer/ceramic electrospun nanofibers for direct air capture of CO2. This fiber matrix ensures effective internal dispersion and hydrophobic shielding of the nanoparticles, which translates to enhanced capture kinetics and high CO2 uptakes under both pure CO2 and 400 ppm CO2 conditions with stable cycling behavior. Liquid‐like nanoparticle organic hybrid materials (NOHMs) consisting of a silica core with ionically grafted branched polyethyleneimine chains (referred to as NIPEI) are encapsulated within submicron‐scale polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/polymer‐derived‐ceramic electrospun fibers. The addition of a room‐temperature curable, liquid‐phase organopolysilazane (OPSZ) ceramic precursor to the PAN/NOHM solution enhances the internal dispersion of NOHMs and forms a thin ceramic sheath layer on the fiber exterior, shielding the hydrophilic NIPEI to produce near‐superhydrophobic non‐woven fiber mats with contact angles exceeding 140°. 60:40 loadings of NOHMs to PAN/OPSZ can be reliably achieved with low OPSZ percentages required, and up to 4:1 NOHM:polymer loadings are possible before losing hydrophobicity. These fibers demonstrate up to ≈2 mmol CO2 g−1 fiber capture capacities in a pure CO2 atmosphere through the nonwoven fibrous networks and the permeability of the OPSZ shell. The hybrid fibers additionally show enhanced capture kinetics under pure CO2 and 400 ppm CO2 conditions, indicating their promising application as a direct air capture platform.

Publisher URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.202301649

DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202301649

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