Al-doped B80 fullerene as a suitable candidate for H2, CH4, and CO2 adsorption for clean energy applications

Dispersion-corrected density functional theory method was performed to report on a high-performance adsorbent for removal of CO2 from the precombustion and natural gases. At first, the effect of Al atom impurity on the structural and electronic properties of B80 fullerene is studied. Then, the adsorption geometries and energies of gases (H2, CH4, or CO2) on the B80 and AlB79 (amphoteric adsorbents) are explored. The Al atom enhances reactivity of the cage toward the gases and the adsorption processes are more exothermic with low and high energy barriers for chemisorption of H2 and CO2, respectively. Stable chemisorption of CO2 on the AlB79 is validated by the high adsorption energy and large charge transfer, while the CH4 is just physically adsorbed on the AlB79. Further, the physisorbed gases can enhance field emission current of the AlB79 and in the continuous capturing of the gases, the magnetic moment of the cage is quenched. Furthermore, dependency of the electronic structure of the adsorbent on the gas adsorption is intensively studied. We suggest that the AlB79 could be a promising material for capture, storage, and separation of the gases and as a novel material for sustainable energy and sweetening process in the petroleum industry.