Global warming has been attributed to the sharp increase in heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions, in particular CO2 emissions. Carbon capture technology, such as using adsorbents to capture and store CO2 from ambient air, is a promising solution to mitigate emissions.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: (a) CO 2 chemisorption on mica monolayer and form K 2 CO 3 and CO 2 physisorption on formed K 2 CO 3 . (b) CO 2 adsorption comparison bulk mica vs. mica nanosheets (c) Recoverability test for mica nanosheets. Credit: SUTD Global warming has been attributed to the sharp increase in heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions, in particular CO 2 emissions. Carbon capture technology, such as using adsorbents to capture and store CO 2 from ambient air, is a promising solution to mitigate emissions. Liquid sorbents are traditionally used for carbon capture, but they suffer from equipment corrosion, high cost and high energy requirements for regeneration. To overcome these limitations, solid porous materials for CO 2 adsorption—in which CO 2 atoms adhere to the surface of the solid material—are being explored. In his carbon capture research, Associate Professor Wu Ping of the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) turned to mica, a cheap and abundant clay mineral with diverse applications. Mica forms sheet-like alumina silicate layers connected by interlayer potassium cations through ionic bonds. However, the complex structure makes it challenging to separate mica into single or few layers to form two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets that are conducive for CO 2 capture. Methods developed by previous studies have also required long reaction times and high energy consumption. To develop an efficient method to produce 2D mica nanosheets, Assoc Prof Wu and his SUTD team collaborated with researchers from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). They published their research paper "Efficient synthesis of 2D mica nanosheets by solvothermal and microwave-assisted techniques for CO 2 capture applications" in Materials. "Building upon our recent breakthroughs in…