CO2 capture and the race to save our planet: A breakthrough in covalent organic frameworks

As a faculty member of both the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and the Chemistry Department, Prof. Laura Gagliardi develops theoretical and computational approaches and employs them to study materials’ properties for climate mitigation and energy solutions.

Her current research has found her investigating covalent organic frameworks (COFs), porous reticular structures formed by stitching organic linkers through strong covalent bonds. These innovative materials have the potential to revolutionize carbon capture technology, offering a more efficient and cost-effective way to remove CO2 directly from the atmosphere.

Gagliardi's recent advancement, in collaboration with the group of Omar Yaghi at the University of California, Berkeley, who led the project, and published in the journal Nature, showcases the remarkable capabilities of COFs. Particularly, the team engineered a COF, termed COF-999, with an ingenious modification: attaching amine initiators to create polyamines within the pores of the COF. This enhancement significantly boosts COF-999's affinity for CO2, allowing it to capture the greenhouse gas with exceptional efficiency and stability.

“The synthetic achievement of my colleague Omar Yaghi was to functionalize the framework with amines," Gagliardi explained. "This created an environment particularly selective for capturing CO2 over other gases present in the air. Our computational modeling explained how the reaction between the amines and the CO2 occurs at the molecular scale and why this chemical arrangement is so favorable towards CO2 capture.”

COF-999 has demonstrated remarkable performance, capturing significant amounts of CO2 from open air and maintaining its efficacy over 100 adsorption-desorption cycles.

“It is very stable both chemically and thermally, and can be used for at least 100 cycles,” said Gagliardi.

This durability translates to a material that could operate continuously, effectively cleansing the atmosphere. Gagliardi envisions a future where chemical plants equipped with these COFs act as giant air purifiers, significantly contributing to global efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.

While acknowledging the need for further economic analysis, Gagliardi believes that this approach may offer a more affordable and efficient solution compared to existing carbon capture methods. Her team is now focused on refining COFs further.

“We are employing classical and quantum computations and machine learning to discover new materials within the same family that could capture twice as much CO2, before they are being synthesized in the laboratory", she said.

Her research is expected to extend beyond carbon capture, exploring the potential of COFs and other reticular materials like metal-organic frameworks in various applications, including water harvesting, energy storage, and electrocatalysis. These porous and crystalline materials hold immense promise for addressing a range of environmental and energy challenges.

Her group’s groundbreaking work aligns perfectly with the mission of the University of Chicago's new Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth. The Institute fosters interdisciplinary collaborations and accelerates the development of climate solutions, providing a supportive ecosystem for researchers like Gagliardi to translate their discoveries into real-world applications. Along with John Anderson and Giulia Galli in chemistry, Nancy Kawlek in PME and Max Delferro at ANL, Gagliardi will work under the auspices of the Institute on a new initiative on Advanced Materials for Climate Mitigations aimed at revolutionizing materials discovery process to meet urgent climate deadlines.

Beyond her scientific contributions, Gagliardi said she is deeply committed to mentoring young scientists and inspiring them to tackle climate change.

“I think it's the best part of my work, to work with young people and think about the future, their future," she said.

As her research in Nature proves, ingenuity and belief in the power of collaborative scientific endeavors serve as a beacon of hope in a world grappling with the effects of environmental challenges.

Citation: Zhou, Z., Ma, T., Zhang, H. et al. Carbon dioxide capture from open air using covalent organic frameworks. Nature 635, 96–101 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08080-x