Graphene Nanoplatelet and Reduced Graphene Oxide Functionalized by Ionic Liquid for CO2 Capture

An ionic liquid (IL) [P66614][Triz] with a low regeneration temperature was loaded on a graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) to accelerate the CO2 absorption rate. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) patterns showed that GNP was composed of a regular “honeycomb” lattice, but a regular lattice structure was not observed for RGO as a result of the functional group on it. The CO2 absorption capacity (63.6 mg of CO2/g of IL) and absorption peak rate (22.4 mg of CO2 g–1 of IL min–1) of IL loaded on GNP were increased by 8.2 and 72.3%, respectively, compared to those of neat IL. The supported IL performed better because [P66614][Triz] was oriented in a favorable dispersion as a result of the negative ζ potential of the GNP surface. In contrast, the CO2 absorption rate of RGO–20% IL (mass ratio of RGO/IL = 4:1) was lower than that of IL, which could be attributed to the hydrogen bond between surface oxygen functional groups and IL. 13C nuclear magnetic resonance and Mulliken atomic charge calculated by Gaussian were used to support the CO2 absorption mechanism.