Enhancing CO2 Capture Via Fast Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of the CALF-20 Metal–Organic Framework

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising porous materials for CO₂ adsorption due to their high surface area, tunable properties, and selective adsorption capabilities. The recently reported Calgary Framework 20 (CALF-20) MOF has very appealing CO₂ capture properties: high uptake capacity; low regeneration energy; durability (>450 000 cycles) under steam and wet acid gases; simple and scalable synthesis. This study investigates the microwave (MW)-assisted synthesis of CALF-20, which reduces reaction time 12-fold while enhancing the synthesis yield to 97%. Structural analysis confirmed that MW-synthesized CALF-20 retains its crystallographic structure and shows improved CO₂ capture performance, exhibiting higher adsorption capacity (∼20% higher), selectivity, and lower regeneration energy. This method provides a rapid and efficient alternative for producing the CALF-20 adsorbent for CO₂ capture and separation applications.