Constructing highly porous carbon materials from porous organic polymers for superior CO2 adsorption and separation

The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration has led to numerous problems related to our living environment, seeking an efficient carbon capture and storage (CCS) strategy associated with low energy consumption and expenditures is highly desirable. Here, we demonstrate a facile approach to synthesize a series of highly porous carbon materials derived from porous organic polymers synthesized from three low-cost isomers of triphenyl using chemical activation with KOH at different temperatures. Compared with the precursor porous organic polymers, the porosity of the prepared porous carbon materials is significantly enhanced with surface areas as high as 3367 m2 g-1 and pore volumes up to 1.224 cm3 g-1. Notably, such porous carbon materials deliver an exceptionally high CO2 adsorption capacity of 7.78 mmol g-1 at 273 K and 1 bar, a value that is superior to most of the previously reported adsorbents. In addition, these porous organic polymers and derived porous carbon materials exhibit high CO2/N2 selectivity at ambient conditions. Therefore, the facile construction of highly porous carbon materials from porous organic polymers may offer an efficient strategy for CO2 adsorption and separation and further mitigates greenhouse effect.