CHEM Talks with Adedeji Adebukola Adelodun

Title

Chemically Modified Polyethyleneimines, Tetramethylguanidines, and Triamines for Enhanced Hydrophobicity, Thermal Stability & CO₂ Capture Efficiency

Abstract

Despite being the conventional and most established sorbent for point-source carbon dioxide (CO₂) removal (CDR), monoethanolamine (MEA) exhibits some demerits, including high regeneration energy, toxicity, and water requirements, and low theoretical CO₂ capture capacity. Leveraging this knowledge, we adopted alkylation to induce hydrophobicity in various amines with competitive potential for both CDR and direct air capture (DAC) applications.

We investigated the physical and chemical properties of alkylated polyethyleneimine (Cn-PEI), tetramethylguanidine (Cn-TMG), & diethylenetriamine (Cn-DETA) for enhanced hydrophobicity, thermal stability & CO₂ capture efficiency (capacity, kinetics, and recyclability).

We observed that the alkylation degree and subsequent influence of CO₂ affinity are driven by the type (i.e., 1^o, 2^o, and 3^o) and variety (single, double, or multi-component) of amines. Specifically, electrospinning co-blended C₁₆-PEI with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and supporting the alkylated amines (C₇-TMG and C₈-DETA) on (hydrophobically-modified) mesoporous silica significantly improved the adsorption properties (capacity, selectivity, isotherm, and kinetics) of the parent amines. Further studies include Cn optimization, real-life moisture test, and upscaling.

Speaker

Post Doc Adedeji Adebukola Adelodun

Date

Friday 5/12-2025 at 12:15

Link to online participation