Preparation of modified mesostructured cellular foams and study on NO adsorption from flue gas

[Display omitted] •NH4F and n-heptane had better pore swelling effects compared to TMB.•The central atoms of π bonds has great effects on adsorption function.•The hydrophobic effect of the samples could increase due to alkyl groups in APTES.•Regular pore size and high density of functional groups are the key to NO adsorption.•Coexisting component affects the selectivity of the materials. Several mesostructured cellular foams (MCFs) were prepared and modified for NO adsorption. TMB, NH4F and n-heptane were used as swelling agents, and APTES was used as the modified agent. The morphological structure, chemical composition, thermostability were tested to study the effects of the preparation process on the characterizations of materials. NO adsorption ability of the materials were studied and discussed. NH4F and n-heptane had better pore swelling effects compared to TMB, however adding TMB together with NH4F and n-heptane could not enlarge the pore structure further. The MCFs materials could keep steady below 800°C, but after grafting APTES on the surface of the materials, the thermogravimetric curve of materials began to decrease at 300°C. The materials using NH4F and n-heptane as the swelling agents, and modified by APTES had better NO adsorption ability, and the selectivity of the materials were decided by the molecular polarity of the adsorbates. After the modification, the hydrophobic effect of the samples could increase because of the alkyl groups in APTES. The adsorption capacity of the materials could keep steady for ten times without the coexisting component, H2O, CO2 and SO2 all had negative effects on the regeneration of the materials.