Visible light triggered CO₂ liberation from silver nanocrystals incorporated metal–organic frameworks

Abstract

Widespread deployment of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for CO₂ capture remains challenging due to the great energy-penalty associated with their regeneration. To overcome this challenge, a new type of photodynamic carbon capture material synthesized by incorporating Ag nanocrystals with UiO-66 (Ag/UiO-66) framework is presented. Upon the irradiation of visible light, Ag nanocrystals within the composites serve as “nanoheaters” to con- vert photon energy into thermal energy locally. Driven by such light-induced localized heat (LLH), the adsorbed CO 2 within MOFs is remotely released. The CO₂ desorption capacity of such Ag/UiO-66 composites can be readily regulated by control over their Ag contents and the applied light intensity. Up to 90.5% of CO₂ desorption is achieved under the investigated conditions. Distinct from the traditional light-responsive MOFs for gas trigger release, currently developed LLH-driven CO₂ release method not only offers a promising solution to the heat-insulating nature of MOFs, but also