Synthesis of PAN/PVDF nanofiber composites-based carbon adsorbents for CO2 capture

In this work, we have prepared PAN/PVDF hybrid composites via electrospinning. And, the carbonization and activation process were performed to obtain the porous carbons for CO2 capture. The features and morphologies were observed by HR-SEM, and the surface properties were investigated by XPS. The textural properties were analyzed by N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms at 77 K. The CO2 adsorption/desorption isotherms were measured at 298 K and practical use on CO2 capture processes of the samples were performed under 15% CO2 in N2 as flue gas in fossil fuel power plants through temperature swing adsorption process. The effect of steam activation in electrospun PVDF/PAN nanofibers was investigated in relation to textural properties and CO2 capture. The A-PAN/PVDF nanofibers attained a high CO2 uptake of 2.21 wt%, and exhibited reversible CO2 capturing performances under flue gas condition. These results indicate that the effects of hybridization and steam activation on the CO2 adsorption were confirmed, and the capture performances of the adsorbents were maximized under practical conditions.