Hydrophobic porous ionic liquids for efficient CO2 capture and conversion from humid flue gas under ambient conditions

Here, we propose the hydrophobic porous ionic liquids (PILs) for CO 2 capture and conversion from humid flue gas. Specifically, silver was introduced onto the surface of ZIF-90 and the resultant material was incorporated into the hydrophobic ionic liquids (ILs) to form Type III PILs. The obtained LADDA-PIL exhibited an exceptional CO 2 absorption capacity and CO 2 /N 2 (15/85) selectivity of 2021, surpassing nearly all previously reported porous liquids. Dynamic breakthrough experiments confirmed that LADDA-PIL successfully captured CO 2 from humid flue gas. Moreover, the π-interaction between silver in LADDA-PIL and the alkynyl group enabled high-yield carboxylative cyclization of CO 2 with propargylic alcohols at ambient temperature. Density functional theory calculations and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the hydrophobic ILs act as an effective H 2 O barrier, while the  NH 2 moiety of the ILs facilitates CO 2 transport and conversion. This study offers a promising strategy for energy-efficient carbon capture under humid conditions.