New chemical structures developed by OSU chemist show vastly improved carbon capture ability

College of Science researchers have synthesized new molecules able to quickly capture significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the air, an important tactic in climate change mitigation.

The study, which focused on titanium peroxides, builds on their earlier research into vanadium peroxides. The research is part of large-scale federal effort to innovate new methods and materials for direct air capture, or DAC(Link is external), of carbon dioxide, produced by the burning of fossil fuels.

Findings of the research, led by May Nyman and Karlie Bach of the Department of Chemistry, were published today in Chemistry of Materials.

In 2021 Nyman, the Terence Bradshaw Chemistry Professor in the College of Science, was chosen as the leader of one of nine direct air capture projects funded by the Department of Energy through an initial investment of $24 million. Her team is exploring how some transition metal complexes can react with air to remove carbon dioxide and convert it to a metal carbonate, similar to what is found in many naturally occurring minerals.

Scanning electron microscope images of the carbon capture titanium molecules before (left) and after (right) exposure to air. The molecules release oxygen gas upon capture of carbon dioxide, creating a spongelike substance that enables reactivity throughout the crystals, not just on the surface. Image provided by May Nyman and Karlie Bach, OSU College of Science.

Transition metals are located near the center of the periodic table and their name arises from the transition of electrons from low energy to high energy states and back again, giving rise to distinctive colors.

Facilities that filter carbon dioxide from the air are still in their infancy. Technologies for mitigating carbon dioxide at the point of entry into the atmosphere, such as at power plants, are more mature. Both types of carbon capture will likely be needed if the Earth is to avoid the worst outcomes of climate change, the scientists say.

At present there are a combined 18 active direct air capture plants operating in the United States, Canada and Europe, with plans for an additional 130 around the globe. Challenges to direct air capture include big costs and high energy requirements compared to working with industrial exhausts. Additionally, the atmosphere’s concentration of carbon dioxide, four parts per million, is low, challenging the performance of carbon capture materials.

“We opted to look into titanium as it’s 100 times cheaper than vanadium, more abundant, more environmentally friendly and already well established in industrial uses,” said Bach, a graduate student in Nyman’s lab. “It also is right next to vanadium on the periodic table, so we hypothesized that the carbon capture behavior could be similar enough to vanadium to be effective.”

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