(706g) Encapsulating Nanoscale Organic Hybrid Materials (NOHMs) within Polymeric Nanofibers Via Electrospinning for CO2 Capture

As fossil fuels continue to dominate the global energy portfolio, there is an urgent need for carbon negative technologies to reverse rising CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere. Recently, liquid-like Nanoscale Organic Hybrid Materials (NOHMs), composed of an amine polymer canopy tethered to a silica nanoparticle core, have been demonstrated as a promising CO₂ sorbent with low vapor pressure, high CO₂ selectivity, and high thermal-oxidative stability. Here, we demonstrate the incorporation of NOHMs into gas permeable polymers via nanofiber electrospinning. Several encapsulation materials were investigated; Polymers with Intrinsic Microporosity (PIM-1), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and organic polysilazane (OPSZ), all of which are gas permeable and can selectively reject water. CO₂ capture capacity and kinetics were quantified via thermogravimetric and gas sorption analysis. Other key material properties e.g., thermal oxidative stability, fiber morphology and hydrophobicity were correlated to electrospinning conditions. Overall, these findings increase the technological feasibility of using NOHMs as a next-generation sorbent for CO2 capture.