Preparation of ZIF-67@PAN Nanofibers for CO<sub>2</sub> Capture: Effects of Solvent and Time on Particle Morphology

Advanced materials including metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a critical piece of the puzzle in the search for solutions to various scientific and technological challenges, such as climate change due to the ever-increasing emissions of greenhouse gas. There is intense interest in MOFs due to thei...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Guilherme Henrique Franca Melo, Tiffany Yau, Yuxin Liu, Uttandaraman Sundararaj
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Fibers
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6439/13/5/50
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Summary:Advanced materials including metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a critical piece of the puzzle in the search for solutions to various scientific and technological challenges, such as climate change due to the ever-increasing emissions of greenhouse gas. There is intense interest in MOFs due to their potential use for a variety of environmental applications, including catalysis and gas storage. In this work, we specifically focus on the in situ growth of zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) on poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) fibers and its potential application in CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption. Nanofibers were spun from a solution containing PAN and cobalt (II) nitrate hexahydrate using electrospinning. Then, the fibers were immersed in solution with 2-methylimidazole for different time durations. Via the diffusion of the cobalt ions through the fibers and interaction with the ligands in the solution, ZIF-67 was formed. From analysis via SEM, FTIR, PXRD, and CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption, it is evident that varying different parameters—the type of solvent, immersion time, and ligand concentration—affected the morphology of the formed ZIF-67. It was found that immersion for 4 h in 6.0 mg/mL of ligands in methanol created the ZIF-67@PAN best suited for CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption, showing a CO<sub>2</sub> uptake of 0.4 mmol/g at 1.2 bar and 273 K.
ISSN:2079-6439