New Hybrid MOF/Polymer Materials for Carbon Capture

Plastic waste and greenhouse gases represent two of the most pressing challenges for sustainability. Conventional plastic materials, such as polystyrene (PS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), are chemically inert and hard for natural degradation, with microplastic contamination now observed in ecosystems as remote as the Arctic Ocean. Concurrently, the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the air, the major greenhouse gas, has been a critical driver of climate change and global warming since the Industrial Revolution. Effective CO₂ capture technologies are therefore essential to achieving net-zero carbon emissions and mitigating climate issues.
Recent research in materials science has focused on plastic degradation and the development of new CO₂ capture materials. However, current methods for plastic degradation often involve plenty use of chemical solvents and thermal processes, which are economic-limited and energy-intensive. While some existing CO₂ capture materials are with excellent performance. However, they are synthesized from valuable chemical products and precursors which impede the promotion of CO₂ capture technology.
To address these limitations, this study proposes a novel approach to upcycling plastic waste into hybrid materials specifically designed for direct air CO₂ capture. The hydrophobic nature of plastic polymers is leveraged to enhance the CO₂ and H₂O selectivity of the hybrid material, while the incorporation of cross-linkers facilitates the formation of interfacial pores. These new-created pores increase amine loading, significantly improving CO₂ capture performance.