Institut Lavoisier develops a high capacity CO2 trap

A porous material created by a team led by Gérard Férey at Institut Lavoisier in Versailles has an unparalleled ability to capture carbon dioxide, a major challenge in the ongoing fight against global warming. 

This recent study co-authored by several laboratories associated with CNRS has shown that MIL101, a mesoporous Metal-Organic Framework (MOF), could store close to 400 m of CO₂ at 25°C per m³ of solid, almost double the capacity of the best materials commercially available today.

Yet when Férey initially set out to create porous frameworks, he had no specific application in mind. His goal was to move beyond trial and error and devise a logical approach to create tailored porous solids. Using a personal computer simulation program, he found extraordinary virtual results. They eventually led to the creation of MIL101, the largest crystalline porous solid to date, with pores of 3.4 nm and a huge cubic cell volume. 

The next issue was to figure out what to trap in such large cages and, given the increased focus on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, CO₂ was a prime candidate. Férey also gives credit to his colleagues who demonstrated MIL101’s record CO₂adsorption properties. “We now know why and where the CO₂molecules attach,” he points out. “This is essential information if we want to find even better products.” 

The study also shows that the method chosen to activate MIL101 is crucial in optimizing its CO₂ adsorption capability, the most effective method being a combination of hot ethanol and ammonium fluoride treatments. 

CO₂ storage is only one of many potential applications for a large-pore MOF and the possibilities are practically endless. “You can fill it with pretty much anything,” concludes Férey, “hydrogen, drugs, or even use the cages as a nanoreactor to produce materials directly inside them.

Source : CNRS - Fabien Buliard