Amine-enriched Ti/SiOx framework fabricated via one-step photochemical synthesis for carbon dioxide adsorption and separation applications

The coordination environment encompassing the amine sites governs the stability of the adsorbent. In this work, an amine-enriched Ti/SiOx framework (OP-ATSO) was constructed through a one-step hydrolytic polymerization induced under ultraviolet irradiation in order to increase the amine content. Characterization results as well as CO2 adsorption and separation performance evaluation show that compared with the amine-functionalized Ti/ SiOx (HT-ATSO) synthesized through conventional hydrothermal means followed by post-synthetic impregnation, OP-ATSO possesses more abundant amine sites on the framework, which in turn exhibits enhanced CO2 adsorption capacity, two-fold increase in CO2/N2 separation coefficient, and outstanding cyclic adsorption stability. The one-step photochemical synthesis procedure dramatically reduces the time and operating steps of material synthesis, concurrently eliminating liquid waste. This work provides a novel concept of developing superior sorbents with high CO2 adsorption performance.