CO2 adsorption using amine-functionalized mesoporous silica prepared via anionic surfactant-mediated synthesis

A series of directly amine-functionalized mesoporous silicas was prepared via an anionic surfactant-mediated synthesis method and applied to CO2 adsorption at room temperature. The structurally robust amine functionality in the material accompanied by preferential positioning of amine groups normal to the surface of a silica support due to the S−N+ ∼ I− mechanism proved to be beneficial for CO2 adsorption. Rather than surface area or pore volume, amine content of the mesoporous material was found to be the governing factor to achieve high CO2 adsorption capacity. Covalently bonded amine species in the mesoporous silica were robust enough to maintain steady adsorption performance during 10 repetitions of the adsorption–desorption cycle.