A novel “pore-carrier transfer” strategy for preparation of porous liquids toward efficient CO₂ capture

Porous liquids (PLs), a novel class of materials combining porosity with fluidity, have garnered significant interests in gas capture and separation. However, current methods for preparing PLs often involve modifying porous materials to introduce new active sites or directly dispersing them into sterically hindered solvents, leading to the potential loss of sorption sites within the porous structure. Here, we propose a novel “pore-carrier transfer” strategy aimed at preserving the sorption sites of the porous host UiO-66-NH₂ by incorporating a MXene carrier between UiO-66-NH₂ and the sterically hindered solvent [Hmim]Br. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate that the introduction of MXene can effectively prevent the diffusion of [Hmim]Br into the internal cavity of UiO-66-NH₂, thereby safeguarding the sorption sites. As expected, the resulting PLs exhibit enhanced CO₂ sorption performance and demonstrate potential for CO₂/N₂ separation, which is attributed to the enhanced dissolution and sorption of CO₂. Overall, this innovative approach opens up possibilities for leveraging a wide array of existing porous materials and two-dimensional materials in the development and application of new PLs. Moreover, the “pore-carrier transfer” strategy represents a promising advancement in the field of PLs synthesis, offering a pathway to enhance sorption efficiency of PLs in gas capture and separation.