By Abbas Nazil
Researchers at UC Berkeley, in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Stanford University, have developed a three-layered nanocomposite capable of maintaining high carbon dioxide capture performance under harsh industrial conditions.
The new material addresses a critical limitation in current carbon capture technologies, which often lose efficiency when exposed to humidity, acids, and other environmental factors common in power plant emissions.
The research, published in *Nature Communications* on November 26, outlines a novel approach that combines a metal-organic framework (MOF) core with two protective layers to enhance durability and CO₂ adsorption.
The nanocomposite consists of an inner MOF-808 core that adsorbs carbon dioxide, a polyethylenimine (PEI) intermediate layer that connects the core to the outer shell and adds CO₂ binding capacity, and an outer covalent organic framework (COF) shell that reduces water adsorption by 65 percent compared to the MOF core alone.
This core-shell-shell design leverages the high surface area and strong CO₂ affinity of MOFs while integrating the chemical stability of COFs, overcoming the individual limitations of each material.
Testing showed the nanocomposite achieves a CO₂ uptake of 3.4 millimoles per gram at atmospheric pressure and retains its adsorption capacity over 100 capture-release cycles, even under high humidity, whereas unprotected MOFs lose up to 20 percent of their capacity under similar conditions.
At lower pressures typical of natural gas flues, incinerators, and steel or cement plants, the material adsorbs 1.07 millimoles per gram, representing an 18-fold increase over the unprotected MOF core.
The nanocomposite also demonstrated exceptional chemical resilience, retaining 99 percent of its mass after one week in highly acidic or basic solutions, compared to 13-28 percent losses for unprotected MOFs.
Researchers note that the MOF-808 core is easy to synthesize and scalable, requiring relatively low energy input, making the material suitable for industrial deployment and potentially lowering the cost barriers for carbon capture technologies.
This advancement provides a promising path for more robust and economically viable carbon capture systems, with broader implications for applications in battery storage, nuclear waste absorption, and other environmental technologies.
The work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and the PrISMa/USorb Project and represents a significant step toward scalable solutions for mitigating climate change through advanced materials engineering.