Challenges and Opportunities: Metal–Organic Frameworks for Direct Air Capture

Abstract

Global reliance on fossil fuel combustion for energy production has contributed to the rising concentration of atmospheric CO2, creating significant global climate challenges. In this regard, direct air capture (DAC) of CO2 from the atmosphere has emerged as one of the most promising strategies to counteract the harmful effects on the environment, and the further development and commercialization of this technology will play a pivotal role in achieving the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Among various DAC adsorbents, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) show great potential due to their high porosity and ability to reversibly adsorb CO2 at low concentrations. However, the adsorption efficiency and cost-effectiveness of these materials must be improved to be widely deployed as DAC sorbents. To that end, this perspective provides a critical discussion on several types of benchmark MOFs that have demonstrated high CO2 capture capacities, including an assessment of their stability, CO2 capture mechanism, capture-release cycling behavior, and scale-up synthesis. It then concludes by highlighting limitations that must be addressed for these MOFs to go from the research laboratory to implementation in DAC devices on a global scale so they can effectively mitigate climate change.