Increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide gas have been linked to increasing use of fossil fuels over the past century. Post-combustion capture has the greatest near-term potential for reducing CO 2 emissions. Solid sorbents provide a promising alternative to conventional amine solutions for CO 2 capture. However, practical CO 2 capture applications have been impeded primarily by limited sorbent capacity and recyclability. Here we present a novel CO 2 capture platform based on oligomeric amines supported on specially engineered mesoporous hollow particles (mesoporous capsules). This new design leads to an exceptional capture capacity of up to 7.9 mmol g -1 under simulated flue gas conditions outperforming both conventional monoethanolamine solutions and other current solid amine impregnated sorbents. In addition to their outstanding CO 2 capture capacity, the sorbents are readily regenerated at relatively low temperature and exhibit good stability and recyclability. A novel high efficiency nanocomposite sorbent for CO 2 capture has been developed based on oligomeric amines (polyethylenimine, PEI, and tetraethylenepentamine, TEPA) functionalized mesoporous silica capsules. The newly synthesized sorbents exhibit extraordinary capture capacity 10 up to 7.9 mmol g -1 under simulated flue gas conditions (pre-humidified 10% CO 2 ). The CO 2 capture kinetics were found to be fast and reached 90% of the total capacities within the first few minutes. The effects of the mesoporous capsule features such as particle size and shell thickness on CO 2 capture capacity were investigated. Larger particle size, higher interior void volume and thinner mesoporous shell thickness all improved the CO 2 capacity of the sorbents. PEI impregnated 15 sorbents showed good reversibility and stability during cyclic adsorption-regeneration tests (50 cycles).

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We report the synthesis of multifunctional hybrids in both films and bulk form, combining electrical and ionic conductivity with porosity and catalytic activity. The hybrids are synthesized by a two-step process: (a) ice templation of an aqueous suspension comprised of Nafion, graphite oxide, and chloroplatinic acid to form a microcellular porous network and (b) mild reduction in hydrazine or monosodium citrate which leads to graphene-supported Pt nanoparticles on a Nafion scaffold.

Monodispersed hollow spherical mesoporous particles with tunable particle size and shell thickness were readily synthesized using latex templates and a silica precursor in a weakly basic ethanol−water mixture.

Self-assembled M-N-doped carbon nanotube aerogels with single-atom catalyst feature are for the first time reported through one-step hydrothermal route and subsequent facile annealing treatment. By taking advantage of the porous nanostructures, 1D nanotubes as well as single-atom catalyst feature, the resultant Fe-N-doped carbon nanotube aerogels exhibit excellent oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalytic performance even better than commercial Pt/C in alkaline solution.

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We report the fabrication of three dimensional (3D) macroporous scaffolds made from poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) via an ice-templating method. The scaffolds offer tunable pore size and morphology, and are electrochemically active. When a potential is applied to the scaffolds, reversible changes take place in their electrical doping state, which in turn enables precise control over the conformation of adsorbed proteins (e.g., fibronectin). Additionally, the scaffolds support the growth of mouse fibroblasts (3T3-L1) for 7 days, and are able to electrically control cell adhesion and pro-angiogenic capability. These 3D matrix-mimicking platforms offer precise control of protein conformation and major cell functions, over large volumes and long cell culture times. As such, they represent a new tool for biological research with many potential applications in bioelectronics, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.