2023 Prize Presentation, Recorded Remarks from Robert Langer

In the last 20 years, significant efforts have been invested in developing adsorption processes for CO₂ capture. The explosion in adsorbent synthesis and molecular simulations has generated hundreds of thousands of (hypothetical & real) adsorbents, e.g., Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs). This excitement has led to an implicit assumption that the key bottleneck in developing large-scale adsorption processes is discovering the right adsorbent. The reality, however, is that perhaps one MOF [1] has moved from the lab to the industrial scale. This two-part talk will be based: on 1. How process engineering allows us to "meaningfully" screen sorbents [2]., and\, 2. Perspectives and challenges associated with the computational screening of materials for CO2 capture sorbents [1,3]. Both parts are heavily influenced by the pioneering works of Doug Ruthven in the fields of process engineering and sorbent characterization.

1. Lin, J.B., et al., 2021. A scalable metal-organic framework as a durable physisorbent for carbon dioxide capture. Science, 374(6574), pp.1464-1469.
2. Rajendran, A., et al. 2023. How Can (or Why Should) Process Engineering Aid the Screening and Discovery of Solid Sorbents for CO2 Capture?. Accounts of Chemical Research, pp.16730-16740.
3. Rajendran, A., et al., 2023. The Challenge of Water Competition in Physical Adsorption of CO2 by Porous Solids for Carbon Capture Applications–A Short Perspective. Advanced Materials, p.2301730.