Enhanced solubility of carbon dioxide for encapsulated ionic liquids in polymeric materials

Abstract Ionic liquids (ILs) as the solvents for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), with high capacity and selectivity, are promising candidates for CO 2 capture. Developing methods such as microencapsulation that enable the cost-effective and regenerable operation using ILs-based absorbent is of paramount importance to carbon capture and management technologies. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of IL encapsulation within a polymeric shell and evaluated the performance of the capsules in CO 2 absorption from the gas phase. We learned that encapsulation enhances the intrinsic capacity of an ionic liquid in CO 2 sorption. The proper choice of chemistry for the polymeric matrix and the high specific surface area of the capsules allows the encapsulated ILs to outperform their liquid counterpart. We report unprecedented recyclability, encapsulation retention, and absorption capacity for the encapsulated IL absorbent designed for CO 2 sorption. We observed a synergistic effect on the CO 2 absorption capacity of the capsules as a result of using a fluorine-containing polymer.