Reversible Absorption of CO2 Triggered by Phase Transition of Amine-Containing Micro- and Nanogel Particles

Herein we report that an aqueous solution of temperature-responsive micro- and nanogel particles (GPs) consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) and N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide (DMAPM) reversibly absorbs and desorbs CO2 via a phase transition induced by cooling and heating cycles (30–75 °C). Below the phase-transition temperature, most of the amines in the swollen GPs are capable of forming ion pairs with absorbed bicarbonate ions. However, above the phase-transition temperature, shrinkage of the GPs lowers the pK a and the number of amine groups exposed to water, thereby resulting in almost complete desorption of CO2. The GPs can reversibly absorb more than the DMAPM monomer and polymer without NIPAm, which indicates the importance of the temperature-responsive phase transition of polymers in determining the degree of absorption. The results show the potential of temperature-responsive polymer solutions as absorbents to sequester CO2 at a low energy cost.