(71b) Lessons Learned from the Use of Unconventional Materials for CO2 Capture

Having worked on several approaches to CO2 capture since about 2005, I have explored a number of physical and chemical solvents as well as polymer membranes.  Initially, a great deal of these of materials were based upon ionic liquids (ILs).  Due to a number of challenges encountered in the practical application of ILs due to the demanding requirements in CO2 separation processes, I started to reconsider how best to use ILs to address CO2 capture.  Ultimately, more promising and robust materials will not come from ILs themselves, but from retrosynthetic analysis and a reconsideration of which structural variables and properties are (and are not) important.  The hybridization of the constituent parts into entirely new, yet seemingly familiar substances with improved properties and economics.  This talk will highlight lessons learned from ILs and how these have influenced recent work from my group in the development of new amine solvents and polymer materials that better address the demanding process conditions and requirements of CO2 capture and related separations.