Effect of Water on CO2 Adsorption on CaNaY Zeolite: Formation of Ca2+(H2O)(CO2), Ca2+(H2O)(CO2)2 and Ca2+(H2O)2(CO2) Complexes.

Efficient CO2 capture materials must possess a high adsorption capacity, suitable CO2 adsorption enthalpy and resistance to water vapor. We have recently reported that Ca2+ cations exchanged in FAU zeolite can attach up to three CO2 molecules. Here we report the effect of water on the adsorption of CO2. Formation of Ca2+(H2O)(CO2), Ca2+(H2O)(CO2)2 and Ca2+(H2O)2(CO2) mixed ligand complexes were established. The Ca2+(H2O)(CO2) species are readily formed even at ambient temperature and are characterized by ν(12CO2) and ν(13CO2) infrared bands at 2358 and 2293 cm-1, respectively. The Ca2+(H2O)(CO2)2 species are produced at low temperature and are identified by a ν(13CO2) band at 2291 cm-1. In the presence of large amounts of water, Ca2+(H2O)2(CO2) complexes were also evidenced by ν(12CO2) and ν(13CO2) bands at 2348 and 2283 cm-1, respectively. The results demonstrate that, although it has a negative effect on CO2 adsorption uptake, water in moderate amounts does not block CO2 adsorption sites.

One Ca2+ Site in CaNaY Zeolite Can Attach Three CO2 Molecules.

To design efficient CO2 capture materials, it is necessary to ensure a high adsorption capacity. We recently reported that one Na+ site in NaY zeolite can attach two CO2 molecules. However, the process is not suitable for practical use because it proceeds at a low temperature. Here, we present results on CO2 adsorption on CaNaY zeolites, demonstrating that one Ca2+ site can attach three CO2 molecules. The ν3(13CO2) mode arising from the natural 13C abundance allows for easy infrared monitoring of the processes: it appears at 2298, 2294, and 2291 cm-1 for the complexes with one, two, and three CO2 ligands, respectively. The 12CO2 molecules in the polyligand complexes interact vibrationally, leading to the split of the ν3(12CO2) modes. At ambient temperature, Ca2+(CO2)2 complexes predominate at >1 mbar CO2 and triligand species begin to form at 65 mbar. The obtained results show that CaY zeolites can be very effective CO2 capture materials.

Power of Infrared and Raman Spectroscopies to Characterize Metal-Organic Frameworks and Investigate Their Interaction with Guest Molecules.

The variety of functionalities and porous structures inherent to metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) together with the facile tunability of their properties makes these materials suitable for a wide range of existing and emerging applications. Many of these applications are based on processes involving interaction of MOFs with guest molecules. To optimize a certain process or successfully design a new one, a thorough knowledge is required about the physicochemical characteristics of materials and the mechanisms of their interaction with guest molecules. To obtain such important information, various complementary analytical techniques are applied, among which vibrational spectroscopy (IR and Raman) plays an important role and is indispensable in many cases. In this review, we critically examine the reported applications of IR and Raman spectroscopies as powerful tools for initial characterization of MOF materials and for studying processes of their interaction with various gases. Both the advantages and the limitations of the technique are considered, and the cases where IR or Raman spectroscopy is preferable are highlighted. Peculiarities of MOFs interaction with specific gases and some inconsistent band assignments are also emphasized. Summarizing the broad analytical possibilities of the IR and Raman spectroscopies, we conclude that it can be applied in combinations with other techniques to explicitly establish the structure, properties, and reactivity of MOFs.

In situ FTIR Spectroscopy as a Tool for Investigation of Gas/Solid Interaction: Water-Enhanced CO2 Adsorption in UiO-66 Metal-Organic Framework.

In situ infrared spectroscopy is an inexpensive, highly sensitive, and selective valuable tool to investigate the interaction of polycrystalline solids with adsorbates. Vibrational spectra provide information on the chemical nature of adsorbed species and their structure. Thus, they are very useful for obtaining molecular level understanding of surface species. The IR spectrum of the sample itself gives some direct information about the material. General conclusions can be drawn concerning hydroxyl groups, some stable surface species and impurities. However, the spectrum of the sample is "blind" with respect to the presence of coordinatively unsaturated ions and gives rather poor information about the acidity of surface hydroxyls, species decisive for the adsorption and catalytic properties of the materials. Furthermore, no discrimination between bulk and surface species can be made. These problems are solved by the use of probe molecules, substances that interact specifically with the surface; the alteration of some spectral features of these molecules as a result of adsorption provides valuable information about the nature, properties, location, concentration, etc., of the surface sites. The experimental protocol for in-situ IR studies of gas/sample interaction includes preparation of a sample pellet, activation of the material, initial spectral characterization through the analysis of the background spectra, characterization by probe molecules, and study of the interaction with a particular set of gas mixtures. In this paper we investigate a zirconium terephthalate metal organic framework, Zr6O4(OH)4(BDC)6 (BDC = benzene-1,4-dicarboxylate), namely UiO-66 (UiO refers to University of Oslo). The acid sites of the UiO-66 sample are determined by using CO and CD3CN as molecular probes. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that CO2 is adsorbed on basic sites exposed on dehydroxylated UiO-66. Introduction of water to the system produces hydroxyl groups acting as additional CO2 adsorption sites. As a result, CO2 adsorption capacity of the sample is strongly enhanced.