Glow Discharge Plasma-Assisted Template Removal of SBA-15 at Ambient Temperature for High Surface Area, High Silanol Density, and Enhanced CO₂ Adsorption Capacity

Abstract

Glow discharge plasma was successfully applied for effective removal of the organic template P-123 from SBA-15 ordered mesoporous silica at near-room-temperature (below 50 °C) and in a short operation time (2 h). The as-made SBA-15 treated with glow discharge exhibited a larger surface area of 1025 m(2) g(-1) with larger pores and microspore volume as compared with that of conventional calcination (550 °C and 5 h, 827 m(2) g(-1)). In addition to less structural shrinkage, the plasma-prepared SBA-15 showed significantly increased silanol density from 5.4 to 6.6-7.6 mmol g(-1), which led directly to higher amine loading from 1.8 to 3.0 mmol g(-1). Consequently, the plasma-treated sample showed 77% more CO2 capacity and 60% higher CO2/N2 selectivity than the conventionally treated sample at 0.15 bar and 25 °C. The advantage of using glow discharge plasma for low-temperature template removal for achieving enhanced performance for CO2 adsorption is clearly demonstrated.