Advances in Carbon-Based Aerogels for CO2 Capture: Fundamental Design Strategies and Technological Progress

Carbon-based aerogels have garnered significant attention for CO2 capture owing to their low-cost precursors, tunable structures, and high porosity. Their performance in CO2 adsorption is intricately linked to their microstructural and textural features, including pore size distribution, surface area, and surface chemistry. Micropores (<2 nm) are particularly effective due to their size compatibility with CO2 molecules, while surface functional groups enhance adsorption through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. Strategic design approaches have focused on tailoring these properties to optimize CO2 uptake under realistic conditions. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in the structural engineering of carbon aerogels, emphasizing the role of hierarchical porosity and heteroatom doping (nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, etc.) in enhancing adsorption capacity and selectivity. Experimental and theoretical studies have highlighted how the synergistic control of microstructure and surface chemistry leads to superior adsorption performance. Furthermore, this review identifies current challenges, such as limited structural stability and insufficient mechanistic understanding, which hinder further progress. Future research directions are proposed, including advanced pore architecture control, functional group engineering, and the integration of in situ characterization techniques. Overall, this review serves as a guide for the rational design of next-generation carbon-based aerogels tailored for efficient and scalable CO2 capture technologies.