Porous Carbons for CO₂ Adsorption and Capture

Dear Colleagues,

As the global community continues to tackle the urgent challenge of climate change, efficient CO₂ capture and storage have become a key strategy for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. The synthesis of porous carbons through a more sustainable, efficient, and controllable approach is being intensively pursued, as porous carbons have demonstrated competitive performances in many areas. Porous carbons have also been long studied as CO₂ adsorbents due to their tunable properties, excellent stability, and low costs. An in-depth understanding of the correlations between adsorption performances and physicochemical properties can assist in tailoring synthesis strategies for enhanced CO₂ adsorption. The current Special Issue aims to further bridge the gap between porous carbon synthesis and adsorption behaviors, achieving superior CO₂ capture capabilities.

Scope and Topics of Interest:

We invite contributions on topics including (but not limited to) the following:

1. Synthesis and Fabrication of Porous Carbons
   • Activated carbons from biomass, waste materials, and other precursors;
   • Carbon nanomaterials (e.g., carbon nanotubes, graphene oxide) for CO₂ capture;
   • Template-assisted synthesis and porous carbon design;
   • Porous carbons from industrial by-products and sustainable sources.
2. Surface Functionalization and Modification
   • Doping with heteroatoms (N, O, S) to enhance CO₂ uptake;
   • Functionalization for selective adsorption and increased capacity;
   • Pore size engineering and control for optimized CO₂
3. Characterization Techniques
   • BET surface area and porosity analysis;
   • Microscopic and spectroscopic techniques (SEM, TEM, XPS, FTIR);
   • Characterization of CO₂ adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics.
4. CO₂ Adsorption Mechanisms
   • Physisorption vs. chemisorption mechanisms for CO₂ capture;
   • Effect of environmental factors (temperature, pressure, humidity) on CO₂ uptake;
   • Adsorption selectivity for CO₂ over other gasses (e.g., N₂, CH₄).
5. Performance and Efficiency of CO₂ Capture
   • Adsorption capacity and CO₂ selectivity;
   • Regeneration and reusability of porous carbons for long-term performance;
   • Energy efficiency and environmental impact of CO₂ capture processes.
6. Applications of Porous Carbons in CO₂ Capture Technologies
   • Direct air capture (DAC);
   • Post-combustion CO₂ capture in power plants and industrial processes;
   • Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) and value-added products;
   • Integration with renewable energy systems for enhanced CO₂
7. Emerging Trends and Future Directions
   • Hybrid materials, combining porous carbons with other adsorbents (e.g., MOFs, COFs);
   • Machine learning and AI in material design and optimization for CO₂ capture;

Prof. Dr. Guojie Zhang
Dr. Jinsong Shi
Guest Editors

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