Reduced Graphene Oxide/Polymer Monolithic Materials for Selective CO₂ Capture

Polymer composite materials with hierarchical porous structure have been advancing in many different application fields due to excellent physico-chemical properties. However, their synthesis continues to be a highly energy-demanding and environmentally unfriendly process. This work reports a unique water based synthesis of monolithic 3D reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite structures reinforced with poly(methyl methacrylate) polymer nanoparticles functionalized with epoxy functional groups. The method is based on reduction-induced self-assembly process performed at mild conditions. The textural properties and the surface chemistry of the monoliths were varied by changing the reaction conditions and quantity of added polymer to the structure. Moreover, the incorporation of the polymer into the structures improves the solvent resistance of the composites due to the formation of crosslinks between the polymer and the rGO. The monolithic composites were evaluated for selective capture of CO₂. A balance between the specific surface area and the level of functionalization was found to be critical for obtaining high CO₂ capacity and CO₂/N₂ selectivity. The polymer quantity affects the textural properties, thus lowering its amount the specific surface area and the amount of functional groups are higher. This affects positively the capacity for CO₂ capture, thus, the maximum achieved was in the range 3.56–3.85 mmol/g at 1 atm and 25 °C.