CO2 molecules trapped within a porous polymer structure.

Can New "Porous Polymers" Solve the CO2 Crisis? Scientists Explore Innovative Carbon Capture Tech

Lena Kashyap in Climate & Environment August 2025 • 3 min read.

"Discover how amine and amide porous polymers could revolutionize gas adsorption and help combat climate change."

The world's growing demand for energy is heavily reliant on fossil fuels, resulting in increased carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and environmental concerns. While renewable energy sources are being developed, fossil fuels will likely remain a primary energy source for decades.

Industries like power plants, cement production, and transportation are major contributors to CO2 emissions, leading to rising atmospheric concentrations. This increase threatens the environment, driving global warming and triggering severe weather conditions, respiratory illnesses, and other health issues.

To address this challenge, scientists are exploring CO2 capture technologies, including the use of advanced materials and techniques such as amine and amide-type covalent organic frameworks, or COPs. These custom-designed porous polymers offer a promising route to capturing CO2 efficiently under a variety of industrial conditions.

What are Amine and Amide Porous Polymers?

CO2 molecules trapped within a porous polymer structure.

Amine and amide porous polymers are materials designed to capture CO2 using building blocks like amine and amide functionalities. Researchers synthesize, characterize, and test these materials to determine if they can efficiently capture CO2 in pre- or post-combustion processes.

The goal is to create custom porous polymers by incorporating amine and amide functionalities, assessing their performance in capturing CO2 under diverse conditions, including both low and high pressure environments.

Here are some key characteristics and objectives of this kind of research:

Custom Design: Building amine and amide functionalities into porous polymer structures.
Performance Evaluation: Assessing CO2 capturing abilities at both low and high pressures.
Application Versatility: Targeting pre-combustion and post-combustion processes.
Energy Storage: Testing hydrogen (H2) sorption for energy storage applications.

Two specific porous polymers, COP-9 and COP-10, were examined, characterized using methods like BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller), TGA (Thermogravimetric Analysis), and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), and tested for CO2, nitrogen (N2), and H2 adsorption at varying pressures. The research indicates that these materials have considerable adsorption capacity and exhibit good selectivity for CO2 over N2 and H2, particularly at higher pressures.

The Future of Carbon Capture

The study demonstrates the potential of amine and amide porous polymers as CO2 adsorbents, particularly at high pressures. These materials offer a pathway for designing custom polymers with efficient CO2 capture capabilities, contributing to efforts to mitigate climate change. Further research and development in this area could lead to significant advancements in carbon capture technologies.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1016/j.micromeso.2018.12.011, Alternate LINK

Title: A Combined Experimental And Theoretical Study On Gas Adsorption Performance Of Amine And Amide Porous Polymers

Subject: Mechanics of Materials

Journal: Microporous and Mesoporous Materials

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Authors: Ruh Ullah, Hasmukh Patel, Santiago Aparicio, Cafer T. Yavuz, Mert Atilhan

Published: 2019-05-01

Everything You Need To Know

What exactly are amine and amide porous polymers, and how are they designed for CO2 capture?

Amine and amide porous polymers are specifically engineered materials designed to capture CO2. They are created using building blocks with amine and amide functionalities. The development process involves synthesizing, characterizing, and rigorously testing these materials to determine their efficiency in capturing CO2 in both pre- or post-combustion processes. The end goal is to tailor-make porous polymers that excel in capturing CO2 under a variety of conditions, ranging from low to high pressure environments.

What are COP-9 and COP-10, and how were they tested to determine their CO2 capturing abilities?

COP-9 and COP-10 are two specific examples of porous polymers that have been examined for their CO2 adsorption capabilities. These materials undergo thorough characterization using methods like BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) to determine surface area, TGA (Thermogravimetric Analysis) to assess thermal stability, and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) to identify functional groups. They are then tested for their adsorption capacity of CO2, nitrogen (N2), and hydrogen (H2) at varying pressures. These tests help determine their selectivity and effectiveness in capturing CO2.

What makes amine and amide porous polymers a promising solution for carbon capture, and what are the implications of their use?

Amine and amide porous polymers show promise in carbon capture due to their custom-designed structures and functionalities. The presence of amine and amide groups enhances their ability to selectively bind CO2 over other gases like nitrogen and hydrogen, particularly at higher pressures. Their customizability allows for the creation of polymers optimized for specific industrial conditions, improving the efficiency of CO2 capture processes. Further development and deployment of these materials could significantly reduce CO2 emissions from major sources.

What key characteristics define the functionality of amine and amide porous polymers in CO2 capture applications?

The characteristics of amine and amide porous polymers include custom design to incorporate specific functionalities, performance evaluation to assess CO2 capturing abilities at both low and high pressures, application versatility to target pre-combustion and post-combustion processes, and potential for energy storage by testing hydrogen (H2) sorption. These characteristics collectively define their utility in mitigating CO2 emissions and contributing to broader environmental efforts. Further research is needed to improve their long-term stability and scalability for industrial applications.

What does this research suggest about the future of amine and amide porous polymers in carbon capture, and what important aspects were not addressed?

The research showcases that amine and amide porous polymers can be designed to capture CO2 efficiently, especially at high pressures. This is significant because many industrial processes release CO2 at elevated pressures. While the research highlights the potential of these materials, it doesn't cover the challenges of scaling up production or the long-term stability of these polymers under real-world conditions. Further investigation into these areas is crucial for the successful implementation of amine and amide porous polymers in carbon capture technologies.