Influence of nitrogen moieties on CO₂ capture by polyaminal-based porous carbon

The escalating level of CO₂ in the atmosphere is the chief contributor to global warming and climate change. Existing technologies for post-combustion CO₂ scavenging and air separation are inefficient and energy intensive. The cost-effective fabrication of adsorbents with efficient CO₂ capture ability is the ultimate goal of the present work. Hence, a melamine-based porous organic polymer (MBPP) was synthesized by single-step condensation of isophthalaldehyde and 2,4,6-triamino-1,3,5-triazine using Schiff base chemistry. Pyrolysis of the as-prepared polymer at 800 °C produced nitrogen-rich porous carbon (NRC), which exhibited greater adsorption potential than the initial polymer. The fabricated materials were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, thermal-gravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, textural analysis, and CO₂ capture measurements. The moderately high surface area 445 m²·g^-1 was exhibited by NRC with the CO₂ capture of 128.37 mg·g^-1 (2.91 mmol·g^-1) at 273 K and 1 bar. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].