Amine-incorporated adsorbents with reversible sites and high amine efficiency for CO₂ capture in wet environment

CO₂ adsorption in wet environments is attractive but difficult in terms of the unsatisfied adsorption capacity and low efficiency of active sites. Herein, we report the fabrication of a thermal-responsive adsorbent with reversible amine sites by copolymerizing N-acryloyl glycinamide (NAGA), N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide (DMAPM), and styrene (ST). During adsorption at 20 °C, the tertiary amines of the DMAPM units stretch out and act as the strong sites in water. The adsorption capacity can reach 98 mL g⁻¹, corresponding to the highest amine efficiency (0.99 mol CO₂ per mol amine), which is superior to most reported adsorbents. When elevating temperature for desorption, these active sites are shielded in the adsorbent particles because of the formation of intramolecular hydrogen bonds between the NAGA and DMAPM units. The exquisite utilization of thermal responsiveness endows the adsorbents with reversible amine sites and high amine efficiency, making them promising in practical CO₂ capture.