Adjustable Functionalization of Hyper-Cross-Linked Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity for Enhanced CO Adsorption and Selectivity over N and CH.

In this paper, we report the design, synthesis, and characterization of a series of hyper-cross-linked polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs), with high CO uptake and good CO/N and CO/CH selectivity, which makes them competitive for carbon capture and biogas upgrading. The starting hydrocarbon polymers' backbones were functionalized with groups such as -NO, -NH, and -HSO, with the aim of tuning their adsorption selectivity toward CO over nitrogen and methane. This led to a significant improvement in the performance in the potential separation of these gases.