In situ synthesis of carbon nanotube doped metal-organic frameworks for CO₂ capture

Metal organic-frameworks (MOFs) with intriguing structural motifs and unique properties are potential candidates for carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage. Although structures with the single functional constructions and micropores were demonstrated to capture CO₂ with high capacities at low temperature, their feeble interactions still limit practical applications at room temperature. Herein, we report in situ growth observation of hierarchical pores in copper(ii) benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (Cu-BTC) doped MOFs which gives high adsorption and enhances the CO₂ binding ability. Thus, understanding this CO₂-capturing mechanism, which has been causing controversy, is crucial for further development toward advanced study. The doped MOFs exhibit high specific surface areas of 1180 m² g^-1 and show good capacity to store CO₂, which is mainly due to the presence of acid and amine functionalized CNTs and a large amount of narrow micropores (<1.0 nm).