Porous silica platforms (psp) for carbon capture to mitigate climate change
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My research objective is to find an improved functionalized solid silica support for Carbon dioxide (CO2) to mitigate climate change, by finding an optimal silica nanoparticle morphology and amine capture system. Climate change threatens the continued existence of Earth as a habitable planet for humans. The causes for climate change are varied, but the most alarming are the anthropogenic factors, chiefly greenhouse gasses. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the main components of greenhouse gasses, and in lieu of non-polluting energy sources, efforts must be made to limit the amount of CO2 we contribute. One strategy is post-combustion capture of CO2, using amines. The use of liquid amine solutions is not feasible due to the additional burden placed on equipment exposed to amines. Furthermore, the reduction in CO2 at a power plant is offset by the increased amount of raw materials needed to meet energy demands due to the reduced production efficiency when using liquid amines. Solid support for amines is an attractive option to mitigate the pitfalls realized when using amines for post combustion capture. Of the different types of materials (zeolites, Metal Organic Frameworks—MOFs, and nanoparticles and other, not otherwise specified nanomaterials), silica nanoparticles have been shown to be the best option yet due to tunable pore sizes, pore morphologies, and high surface area to weight ratios. In I work, using a well-known silica nanoparticle synthesis, we were able to direct a stellate shaped particle (hierarchical pore structure) to achieve a remarkable 4.6 mmol/g of CO2 capture using Tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) as the amine.