In situ growth of amino-functionalized ZIF-8 on bacterial cellulose foams for enhanced CO2 adsorption

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) hold great potential for carbon capture, while a major challenge for the practical application of ZIFs is the development of convenient three-dimensional bulk materials. Here, sustainable and biodegradable bacterial cellulose (BC) was used as the substrate for ZIF growth. Amino-functionalized ZIF-8 (ZIF-8-NH2) was prepared within BC substrate via an in situ growth approach. ZIF crystals were wrapped uniformly over cellulose fibers and the chelating effect between metal (zinc) ions and hydroxyl groups makes the composites have high interface affinity and compatibility. The resulting foams presented a high CO2 adsorption capacity of 1.63 mmol/g (25 °C, 1 bar). Moreover, ZIF-8-NH2@BC foams are facile to be regenerated by heating at 80 °C. This work provides a new avenue to construct ZIF/cellulose composites for gas treatment applications.