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Functional Molecules and Materials for CO2 Capture and Utilization

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 685

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering Process of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, China
Interests: CO2 capture and utilization; porous organic materials; ionic liquids

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering Process of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, China
Interests: ionic liquids; adsorption; CO2

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and utilization represent critical scientific and technological pathways toward mitigating climate change. In recent years, functional molecules and materials have emerged as powerful platforms for addressing the challenges associated with efficient CO2 separation, activation, and conversion. Molecularly engineered systems—including ionic liquids, functional polymers, porous organic materials, and hybrid materials—offer unique opportunities to tailor physicochemical properties such as adsorption selectivity, catalytic activity, and stability through rational design. This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in the design, synthesis, and application of functional molecules and materials for CO2 capture and utilization. Contributions covering experimental and theoretical studies are welcome, including but not limited to CO2 adsorption and separation from flue gas and air, as well as thermal–catalytic, electrocatalytic, and photocatalytic CO2 conversion processes. This Special Issue seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of current progress and future perspectives in CO2 capture and utilization technologies.

Dr. Lijuan Shi
Dr. Shangqing Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • CO2 capture
  • CO2 utilization
  • functional molecules
  • functional materials
  • adsorption and separation
  • thermal catalysis
  • electrocatalysis
  • photocatalysis

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 10778 KB  
Article
Valorization of Metallurgical Slags into High-Performance Lithium Ferrite for Efficient CO2 Capture
by Amelia Jiménez-Alcántara, Carlota García-González, Rosa-María Ramírez Zamora and Brenda Alcántar-Vázquez
Molecules 2026, 31(9), 1457; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31091457 - 28 Apr 2026
Viewed by 461
Abstract
Copper slag was used as a raw material to prepare lithium ferrite by the solid-state reaction method at different Li:Fe molar ratios. The obtained materials were characterized by XRD, SEM, and N2 adsorption–desorption, and their CO2 capture behavior was evaluated using [...] Read more.
Copper slag was used as a raw material to prepare lithium ferrite by the solid-state reaction method at different Li:Fe molar ratios. The obtained materials were characterized by XRD, SEM, and N2 adsorption–desorption, and their CO2 capture behavior was evaluated using thermogravimetric and temperature-programmed techniques. A 7:1 Li:Fe molar ratio allowed to obtain Li5FeO4, as well as Li4SiO4, due to the high silicon content in the slag. CO2 sorption tests showed that, as temperature increases, CO2 capture increases up to 675 °C. Slag-ferrite achieved a maximum CO2 capture of 20 wt% at 675 °C (PCO2 = 0.2), equivalent to 62.5% of the CO2 sorption of reagent-grade ferrite (32 wt%). Kinetic analysis of CO2 capture using the Avrami–Erofeev model indicated that bulk diffusion is the rate-controlling step. These results provide quantitative evidence on the use of copper slag in the preparation of lithium ferrites, with potential application in a high-temperature CO2 capture process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Molecules and Materials for CO2 Capture and Utilization)
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