title: Spectroscopic Investigation of the Mechanisms Responsible for the Superior Stability of Hybrid Class 1/Class 2 CO2 Sorbents: A New Class 4 Category.
abstract: Hybrid Class 1/Class 2 supported amine CO2 sorbents demonstrate superior performance under practical steam conditions, yet their amine immobilization and stabilization mechanisms are unclear. Uncovering the interactions responsible for the sorbents' robust features is critical for further improvements and can facilitate practical applications. We employ solid state (29)Si CP-MAS and 2-D FSLG (1)H-(13)C CP HETCOR NMR spectroscopies to probe the overall molecular interactions of aminosilane/silica, polyamine [poly(ethylenimine), PEI]/silica, and hybrid aminosilane/PEI/silica sorbents. A unique, sequential impregnation sorbent preparation method is executed in a diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) setup to decouple amine binding mechanisms at the amine-silica interface from those within bulk amine layers. These mechanisms are correlated with each sorbents' resistance to accelerated liquid H2O and TGA steam treatments (H2O stability) and to oxidative degradation (thermal stability). High percentages of CO2 capture retained (PCR) and organic content retained (OCR) values after H2O testing of N-(3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl)ethylenediamine (TMPED)/PEI and (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS)/PEI hybrid sorbents are associated with a synergistic stabilizing effect of the amine species observed during oxidative degradation (thermal gravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry, TGA-DSC). Solid state NMR spectroscopy reveals that the synergistic effect of the TMPED/PEI mixture is manifested by the formation of hydrogen-bonded PEI-NH2···NH2-TMPED and PEI-NH2···HO-Si/O-Si-O (TMPED, T(2)) linkages within the sorbent. DRIFTS further determines that PEI enhances the grafting of TMPED to silica and that PEI is dispersed among a stable network of polymerized TMPED in the bulk, utilizing H-bonded linkages. These findings provide the scientific basis for establishing a Class 4 category for aminosilane/polyamine/silica hybrid sorbents.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, 626 Cochrans Mill Road, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15236, United States.|Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States.
authors.forename: Walter Christopher
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Wilfong
authors.affiliation: AECOM, 626 Cochrans Mill Road, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15236, United States.
authors.forename: Brian W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Kail
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
authors.forename: Christopher W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pacheco
authors.affiliation: U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, 626 Cochrans Mill Road, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15236, United States.
authors.forename: McMahan L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Gray
keywords: CO2 capture; Class 4; NMR; amine sorbent; hybrid; infrared spectroscopy